The question of whether it is worth heating with air conditioning is a recurring one. It's a very good question, and the short answer is yes, but let's look at it a little more closely.
What does it mean to heat with air conditioning?
By default, in air conditioners, the indoor unit cools while the outdoor unit heats, so the heat extracted by the indoor unit is transferred to the outdoor unit. Conversely, when you heat with the air conditioner, this is reversed and the energy extracted by the outdoor unit is used to heat your house. This is essentially a simple heat pump. The point is that we don't „produce” the heat energy directly, we just „pump” it, which is a much more economical solution. The measure of this is the SCOP value, which tells you how many units of heat energy are produced from one unit of electricity. So, to simplify, if the SCOP is 4, for example, and you have an air conditioner and a radiant heater with the same power consumption, the air conditioner will heat four times as much for the same price.
Additional benefit: H tariff
For the reasons explained above, this is considered a very environmentally friendly heating method, and a so-called H tariff is available from electricity suppliers. If you apply for an H tariff for an appliance, you will be charged less for the electricity consumed by the appliance during the heating season (15 October to 15 April).
How much can you save compared to gas heating?
Currently, the price of 1kWh of electricity is 37.5 HUF at the standard tariff, 23 HUF at the H tariff, while the price of 1kWh of gas is about 12 HUF. This means that if the SCOP value is at least 3.2, it is better to heat with air conditioning than with gas. The SCOP value is usually around 4 (depending on the type of air conditioner and how cold it is in winter), which means that you can save about 25% of your heating bill by switching to air conditioning if you do not use H tariffs. And if we apply for an H tariff, we can save 50% of the previous heating bill.
Which air conditioner should I choose for heating?
Today, all air conditioners have heating capability, but that in itself doesn't mean much, because - especially in the lower range machines - a drop in temperature brings a drastic drop in heating output, which means that at, say, -10 degrees Celsius, you'll have very little heating output when you need strong heating. Above these machines are the winterised machines, which are a little more advanced and have crankcase heating and outdoor drip tray heating. That's not bad to start with, but typically these air conditioners also have a rapid drop in heating output when the minus temperatures come, and the outdoor unit is very noisy when in heating mode. Significantly better than these are units optimized for heating, which are designed to be able to heat throughout the heating season. These machines are capable of delivering their rated heating output even at -20 degrees Celsius and their outdoor units are not noisy. Such as the Daikin Perfera.
Another consideration may be the noise level of the indoor unit in heating mode. Since heat is essentially upward, sidewall air conditioners need to generate significant airflow to heat the entire room, which creates noise and drafts. This can be countered by choosing a parapet or ducted indoor unit instead of a standard sidewall indoor unit. These are more expensive than their standard counterparts because they are not widely available, but they provide much more comfortable heating.
Apply for a tariff H
Based on the above, it can be very tempting to apply for an H tariff, as it offers good savings. So why are not all air conditioners connected to the H tariff clock? Unfortunately, practical experience has shown that in the vast majority of properties, the electrical metering point is very outdated, so applying for the H tariff involves upgrading the metering point, which can cost up to HUF 150-200 thousand. This means that the H tariff can be recovered in more than 5 years, not to mention the complexity of the H tariff administration. Unfortunately, this discourages many people. However, it is always worth doing the maths and getting a quote from an H-tariff company, because in many cases it is a good investment.
Summary
If you're looking to upgrade your heating system, it's definitely worth installing an air-conditioning or a more serious heat pump system, as it can save money and is much more environmentally friendly than gas or electric heating. It is worth thinking about applying for the H tariff, which is not usually paid back very quickly for one air conditioner, but it is definitely worth it for 2-3 air conditioners or larger heat pumps.