Although a heat pump largely uses free energy from the environment for heating, cooling or hot water preparation, the system cannot be operated entirely without electricity. Fortunately, it forms an absolute dream team with a photovoltaic system on the roof. And that for several reasons:

Renewable energy: Both technologies use renewable energy. The PV system converts the free and unlimited energy of the sun into solar power, while heat pumps use renewable heat from the air, water or ground for heating. So you're doing a lot right when it comes to climate protection and resource conservation.

Energy efficiency: There is practically no heating system that is more efficient than a heat pump, as it supplies significantly more heat energy than it consumes in electrical energy. If the electricity required for your heat pump comes from a PV system and the production of electricity and heat is intelligently coordinated, you can further increase the efficiency of your heating and hot water preparation.

Maximize self-consumption: With the combination of PV system and heat pump, you maximize the self-consumption of your solar power. On sunny days, the electricity produced can be used directly to operate the heat pump, charge the electricity storage system or heat up the buffer storage tank and you don't have to feed it into the grid.

Speaking of storage:

Heat storage: Heat pumps and photovoltaic systems should always be operated in combination with a storage tank (e.g. buffer storage tank, solar storage tank, hot water storage tank or combi storage tank). If the PV system produces a lot of electricity during the day, it can heat water in the buffer storage tank or charge an electricity storage tank, which you can then use for heating or hot water when required.

Year-round use: While photovoltaic systems produce the most electricity in summer, heat pumps require a lot of energy for heating, especially in winter. They also work efficiently at low outside temperatures and you can significantly reduce operating costs with self-generated solar power on sunny fall and winter days.

Cost-effectiveness: Combining photovoltaics and a heat pump already significantly reduces ongoing heating costs and this effect will increase in the future. Government subsidies or discounted loans are available for the initial investment, allowing you to significantly reduce the amortization period for the heat pump and photovoltaic system.

Flexibility and independence: The combination of photovoltaics and heat pump offers you a high degree of independence from energy prices and energy providers. Not only can you generate your own electricity, you can also use it to heat your home, protecting you from rising electricity prices.

Smart home integration: Heat pumps and photovoltaics can be perfectly integrated into modern smart energy management systems. With intelligent control of your systems, you can optimize your energy consumption and increase comfort.

Increase the value of your property: Combining a heat pump and photovoltaics increases the value of your property and makes it more attractive to potential buyers. Studies have shown that a poor energy efficiency rating can reduce the price of a property by up to 50 percent. The renewable duo is therefore quite rightly the focus of many renovation concepts.

Before we delve deeper into the combination of heat pumps and photovoltaics, it is important to understand how a heat pump works. Heat pumps use the heat available in the environment. They take this from a heat source such as air, ground or water and bring it to a higher temperature level using a refrigerant circuit.

This process requires a certain amount of electrical energy, but this is relatively low compared to the heat generated. Modern air/water heat pumps achieve annual coefficients of performance of well over 4 in new builds, which means that they can generate more than 4 kilowatt hours of heating energy from one kilowatt hour of electrical energy.

By the way: In addition to air/water heat pumps, alpha innotec also has brine/water heat pumps and domestic hot water heat pumps in its range. We will be happy to advise you without obligation.

Photovoltaics makes it possible to generate electricity directly from the sun's rays. Solar cells, which are made of semiconductor materials such as silicon, convert the energy of the sun's rays into electrical energy.

A PV system consists of several solar modules that are installed on a suitable roof or an open area. The direct current generated is converted into usable alternating current by inverters and can be used directly in the household - for heating, for example - or fed into the public power grid.

As with any technology, there are a few challenges that you need to consider when combining heat pumps and photovoltaics:

• Time discrepancy: Your photovoltaic system produces the maximum amount of electricity around midday, while the demand for heat is often at its highest in the evening. Electricity storage or buffer storage guarantee that the necessary heat is provided at the right time
• Weather dependency: The electricity production of a PV system is dependent on solar radiation and can be greatly reduced in cloudy weather or at night. A grid connection or an electricity storage unit can help in such situations.
• Space requirement: Depending on the size of the heat requirement, a PV system requires a considerable amount of space. Careful planning and dimensioning is therefore essential.

One of the most frequently asked questions when deciding on a combination of heat pump and photovoltaics is the economic efficiency. You should consider these aspects:

INVESTMENT COSTS

The acquisition costs for a heat pump and a PV system vary depending on the power requirement and type. The following costs can be assumed as a rough guide:

• Heat pump: between 8,000 and 40,000 euros, depending on the type (air/water heat pump, brine/water heat pump) and heat output
• Photovoltaic system: between 8,000 and 25,000 euros, depending on output
• Buffer storage tank/combined storage tank: between 500 and 5,500 euros
• Electricity storage (optional): between 5,000 and 10,000 euros

As a rough estimate, you need to budget around 25,000 to 50,000 euros for a complete system comprising a heat pump and photovoltaics. You can reduce these costs considerably with state subsidies.

COSTS OF OPERATING THE HEATING SYSTEM AND AMORTIZATION PERIOD

The operating costs of a combination of heat pump and photovoltaics are significantly lower compared to a fossil heating system. As you generate a large proportion of the electricity you need yourself, you save considerable costs for purchasing electricity from the grid.

The payback period, i.e. the time after which you have recouped the costs of the investment through the savings in operating costs, depends on various factors such as the size of the system, heat requirements and electricity prices. As a rule, however, you can expect a payback period of 10 to 15 years.
With a PV system on the roof, the additional costs are amortized even more quickly, because you can operate your heat pump much more cheaply with electricity you produce and use yourself than with tariff electricity.

Smart Home Integration

If you want to combine your heat pump with a photovoltaic system, a (home) energy management system with an easy-to-use app is an essential part of the package. Because with intelligent control of your electrical systems and storage units, you can maximize the consumption of self-generated electricity. The software ensures that the heat pump, photovoltaic system, energy storage unit, wallbox, heating element or electric car batteries work together optimally. Intelligent algorithms take solar forecasts, your consumption behavior and temperature forecasts into account. The most important advantages:

Real-time monitoring: The app enables the energy production of the photovoltaic system and the energy consumption of the heat pump to be monitored in real time. This helps to keep track of the energy flow in the house.

Optimization of self-consumption: The app can help to maximize self-consumption of solar power by optimizing the operating times of the heat pump. In this way, the solar power produced can be used directly for heating or hot water preparation, which saves costs.

Energy saving: By analyzing consumption data and using solar power, the app helps to reduce your energy costs. It shows you when it makes the most sense to operate the heat pump.

Remote access: The app allows you to monitor and control your systems from anywhere. This is particularly practical when you are on the move or on vacation.

Data analysis and reports: The app provides comprehensive analyses and reports on energy production and consumption. This information can help you to optimize your energy consumption in the long term and identify any problems at an early stage.

Sustainability awareness: The app supports you and your loved ones in reducing your ecological footprint by using renewable energy instead of fossil fuels.

Notifications and alarms: The app can send notifications when certain threshold values are reached or when a problem occurs with the photovoltaic system or heat pump.

CONCLUSION: PHOTOVOLTAICS AND HEAT PUMPS ARE A SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT

By using renewable energy and reducing operating costs, investing in a combination of a heat pump and photovoltaics makes both economic and ecological sense. It helps to future-proof your property and make it more attractive in the event of a sale.

With the right funding options, careful planning and regular maintenance, you can fully exploit the benefits of a heat pump and photovoltaic system and transform your home into a sustainable and future-proof energy solution. We will be happy to provide you with non-binding advice and then refer you to one of our trained specialist partners. They will put together a heat pump and PV system package tailored to your personal needs.

*Source https://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/de/presse-und-medien/presseinformationen/2024/kurzstudie-zuwachs-von-batteriespeichern-und-balkon-pv-in-deutschland.html