30.07.2025 - External heating system for apartment buildings and residential complexes
Efficient and simple solution for serial refurbishment
Press InformationNo space in the boiler room and decentralized gas heating: this is currently the situation for around 3.3 million multi-family homes in Germany. To offer these properties a sustainable renovation solution for their heating supply, Mitsubishi Electric has teamed up with system construction partner PreFab TGA GmbH to develop an external heat pump heating center. Located outside the building, it enables apartments in multi-family homes to participate in the energy transition, taking another important step toward climate neutrality.
Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V.
Living Environment Systems
presse@mitsubishi-les.de
The challenge of multi-family homes
challengeNew solutions for sustainable heat supply
According to the Climate Protection Act, Germany is supposed to be climate neutral by 2045. To achieve this, sustainable solutions are needed, especially in the building sector. One such solution is the heat pump, which has been used very successfully for years in single-family and two-family homes as a future-proof heating system. The question now is: How can the gas-fired floor heating systems in multi-family homes, which account for around 52% of all homes in Germany with 3.3 million residential units, be converted? There is great potential here to advance the energy transition – but often also a major space problem: hardly any basements offer the space required to accommodate a central, sustainable heating system such as a heat pump cascade that could reliably supply all apartments with space heating and hot water.
Energy transition and lack of space
solutionHeat pump heating systems as a solution
The solution here is an external heat pump heating center, which we developed together with our system engineering partner PreFab TGA GmbH and which complies 100% with the German Building Energy Act (GEG). As an ideal option for buildings that are not spatially equipped for centralized heating, the heating center solution combines the advantages of a highly efficient heat pump cascade with the flexibility of external installation of the entire heating system. It can be implemented in occupied or rented properties, so that residents do not have to find new, temporary accommodation during the heating renovation.
Efficient cascade technology
cascade systemHigh performance with natural refrigerants
Air/water heat pumps from technology leader Mitsubishi Electric are used in the external heating center, whereby the cascade system can be equipped with 4 or 6 Ecodan modules, depending on the requirements of the respective project. This enables a system output of 56 kW or 84 kW, depending on the configuration. The inverter control of the cascade and the master control of the heat pump ensure that the system always operates at optimum efficiency thanks to the Max COP function. The natural refrigerant propane (R290) used in the outdoor modules makes the system even more sustainable. Based on this refrigerant, the heat pumps achieve flow temperatures of 75 °C at an outside temperature of down to –15 °C. Domestic hot water can be heated to 70 °C, with a heating output of 48 or 72 kW.
Modular and customizable
optionsThanks to numerous equipment options
In order to tailor each module to the conditions at the installation site as effectively as possible, a wide range of options and special equipment is available in addition to the two available power ratings. If required, the system technology can be supplemented with energy management, frost protection, hot water preparation, and much more. The exterior design is also customizable and flexible: to ensure that the external heating center blends harmoniously into its surroundings, it can be customized with additional features. These include preparation for a green roof or a photovoltaic system, as well as a different color scheme for the exterior walls.
Comprehensive information
InformationEverything you need to know about external heating systems
The external heating system is sold by PreFab TGA GmbH, which prefabricates the modules at its site in Kleve. Once the container has been pre-assembled in the first step, the entire heat pump system is set up ready for operation and checked. The TGA professional then delivers the entire system ready for connection to its destination. As the high-quality heating solution offers supply reliability for many years, PreFab TGA GmbH provides a 5-year warranty on the entire heating system.
With our own website, a comprehensive brochure, and a video, we provide extensive information about the new heating system.
