Many of the energy supply service companies offer installation of heat pumps at particularly attractive prices. But it should be noted, that this requires large investments: one needs several thousand euros for a ground heat source development, in addition to the price of a heat pump. A horizontal ground collector installation may sometimes require the area larger by 1,5 ... 2 times than usable floor area of a house, and a geothermal probe must be immersed 50-100m deep. Therefore, a number of peculiarities should be considered before installing a heat pump.

First, a heat pump proves to be efficient only in a thoroughly heat-insulated house, i.e. a house with heat losses about 50 Wt/m². Thus, providing a thorough heat insulation is the best way to reduce costs of a heat pump installation.

Second, the greater the temperature difference in an input and output circuit, the lower the heat conversion rate, i.e. less energy saving. Therefore, it is expedient to connect a heat pump to a low temperature heating system, e.g. a heated floor or heated air system, as its refrigerant temperature must be below 35 ° C.

Third, a heat pump may be combined with an additional heat generator (bivalent heating system) for optimum cost saving.  As a number of really cold days do not exceed 10 ... 15% within a heating season, one may choose a heat pump with capacity which constitutes 70…80% of the rated heat pump capacity. This capacity is sufficient for covering all heat requirements as long as the ambient temperature remains at a certain level (bivalence temperature), say -15 ... -20 ° C. When temperature drops, an additional heat generator goes on.  Mainly, an electric heating coil is used as the additional heat generator, though a solid fuel burner or a fireplace with a water circuit may be used as well. More complex bivalent systems are also possible, e.g. combining a heat pump with solar panels. Design of some production systems provides for such combination. In this case, heat from a heat pump and solar panels is accumulated in a boiler.

A heat pump proved to be the most efficient when installed in new buildings. Thorough planning, i.e. outer heat insulation and a heated floor inside a house, will ensure excellent operation of a heat pump with high COP. Thus, a far-seeing planning of a heat pump heating system at the stage of elaborating design plans and specifications enables a customer to save costs of gas line laying and the costs of permissions related to it.