"Fooled and ripped off" 13 families in Baden have to worry about heating every winter
In Baden AG, 13 families are fighting for the renovation of their unreliable geothermal probe heating system. The dispute with energy provider IWB is escalating and is now being settled in court.
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- The geothermal probe heating system in a housing estate in Baden AG has been working poorly for years.
- Because the borehole length of 100 meters is not sufficient for the required heat, the residents have to fear total failure every winter.
- A court is now deciding who should bear the costs of additional drilling.
For years, 13 families in the Rütihöfl housing estate in Baden AG have been struggling with an unreliable borehole heating system. "Every winter we are afraid of a total failure," says one resident to the Aargauer Zeitung newspaper. They actually signed a 15-year carefree package 13 years ago - but since then there has only been trouble.
The geothermal probe heating system was installed by Industrielle Werke Basel (IWB) in 2011 - as a sustainable alternative to the old oil heating system. But after just a few years, the performance of the geothermal probes deteriorated. "We found out that the borehole length was too short for the required heat," says the resident.
The village of Rütihof is located in the Reuss Valley and forms an exclave of the city of Baden. Because the settlement is located in a moraine area, it was not possible to go deeper than 100 meters, according to an IWB subcontractor. However, drilling to a depth of 250 meters was actually necessary. Now the boreholes are at risk of freezing in cold winters with temperatures below and around zero.
The residents have already had to resort to emergency heating in the past. "We feel we've been taken for a ride and ripped off," the "Aargauer Zeitung" quotes the resident.
IWB rejects accusations
Despite several attempts to find a solution with IWB, they were unsuccessful. IWB suggested installing an additional gas or oil heating system, but the residents rejected this. They insist that IWB should bear the costs of the additional boreholes required to renovate the heating system. The dispute is now being heard by the Baden district court.
IWB emphasizes that it is only contractually responsible for the heat pump and that the owners have assumed the guarantee for the geothermal probes. Despite technical support and proposals for an amicable settlement, no solution has yet been found. The residents hope that the court will rule in their favor and that they will no longer have to worry about their heating every winter.
This article was created with the help of artificial intelligence (AI). All content created by AI is verified by the editorial team.
