In its study “Target Technologies of the Heat Turnaround – Guideposts for Future-Oriented Infrastructure Planning,” the EWI states that large-scale heat pumps and, depending on the assumptions, hydrogen heating systems can be the most economical technologies for areas with urban development. Large-scale heat pumps serving multiple residential buildings offer cost advantages due to economies of scale over decentralized heat pumps serving individual homes.
Based on a comparison of the levelized cost of heat (LCOH) of the various technology options for two exemplary street segments in the City of Cologne, the study estimates the maximum costs of these new infrastructures, which are still unknown today, before an alternative would be more economical. The EWI refers to these as the maximum additional unknown cost (MAUC) and compared them with empirical values of existing infrastructures, such as gas or heating networks.
