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Hot water from photovoltaics
Electricity that you produce yourself by using a photovoltaic system is cheaper than electricity from the power grid. Even if you include the investment in a new system in your bill, it shows that the costs are quickly amortized. In order to make up for the investment costs quickly and to permanently reduce your energy costs, you should keep your self-consumption as high as possible. This means to use a lot of electricity from your own roof.
Depending on the size of the photovoltaic system installed, an average household uses no more than 30% of its own photovoltaic electricity. However, if you use excess solar power to produce hot water, less electricity goes into the grid and you can increase your self-consumption to around 70%. This way, you can completely switch off your heating system, which only provides hot water in summer, and also save money with the power of the sun.
Simple - Clean - Efficient
So far, hot water from solar energy was only known from solar thermal systems. These are relatively complicated and maintenance-intensive systems that work less efficiently, especially during the transitional period and in winter.
On the other hand, photovoltaics is associated with the supposedly relatively expensive technology for generating solar power. But this is no longer true today. On the contrary: photovoltaic modules are now much cheaper than solar collectors. Read more about it here.
Today, you can prepare your hot water much more cheaply with photovoltaics than with a comparable solar thermal system or with conventional heating systems.
Our principle enables you to use your self-generated solar power in the best possible way in your own household.
Our principle enables you to make the best possible use of your self-generated solar electricity in your own household. Because a lot can be done with electricity – and generating heat works particularly well, preferably directly.
Good to know
We call this principle "cables instead of pipes". In new buildings, laying power cables means significantly lower investment costs than laying pipelines.
On the other hand, the refurbishment requires far fewer interventions in the building fabric than a replacement of a water-bearing system. In addition, photovoltaic yields can be used for all energy sectors (electricity, heat, electromobility) of the house.
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Is generating hot water with PV electricity economical?
There are various opinions on this question, but ours is clear: Yes, it is economical! But as a system owner, take a closer look at the economic efficiency of generating hot water with photovoltaic electricity and do the math. Important questions in this case are:
How high is the current feed-in tariff?
How expensive would the heat be if you had to buy it in or produce it in another way?
In which case do you gain more: if you feed the electricity into the grid or use it yourself?
In addition to heating, water heating accounts for a large part of the energy demand in the household. With our my-PV Power-Coach you can calculate your cost savings and self-consumption easily and quickly.
PV electricity for hot water: How does this work technically?
Using heating rods, surplus solar electricity from the photovoltaic system is used to heat hot water tanks. A heating rod is an electrically operated heating element that is installed in a hot water or buffer storage tank and heats the water there electrically. It is as simple as it sounds. Moreover, the energy losses of a hot water storage tank are low.
It gets even better: there are control elements that intelligently control the electricity generated by a PV system by dosing the heat output of the heating elements very precisely when surplus photovoltaic electricity is available. Solutions from my-PV fall into this category.
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Your benefits from hot water with photovoltaics
What are the advantages of my-PV's innovation in the area of hot water? Photovoltaic systems are less complicated and require less maintenance than solar thermal systems. Unlike solar thermal systems, photovoltaic systems do not have a heat fluid circuit. Here, power cables transport the energy from the solar module to the hot water storage tank. PV system owners need neither pipes nor pumps for this. So they don't have to worry about antifreeze or maintenance costs either.
Hot water with photovoltaics
... is simpler and cheaper than thermal solar systems.
There are no thermal losses through distribution and circulation lines.
Your self-consumption increases significantly.
Solar energy is only converted into heat where it is needed.
The installation effort is minimised due to "cables instead of pipes".
The installations are simple and therefore require very little maintenance.
There is no need for thermal disinfection of pipes in summer or winter.
There is no need to go to the authorities if you choose our stand-alone solution ELWA, which does not feed electricity into the grid.
You protect your heating system and thus extend its service life, because you can switch it off completely in summer.
You act in a climate-friendly and independent manner, because you supply yourself with clean solar energy.
Greater independence from rising energy costs.
Applications of our innovation for hot water with photovoltaics
Single-family house
Row house
Multi-storey house
Off-grid buildings like mountain cabin
Completely grid independent
Grid-tied without battery storage
Grid-tied with battery storage
For whom?
Just a few years ago, electricity was frowned upon as a heat source. Too valuable, too expensive, too much CO₂ ... But that was yesterday, those times have changed. Electricity from photovoltaic systems, which now costs a minimal fraction compared to buying electricity, makes it possible. With our innovative technology, you can use this solar power easily, sustainably and cost-effectively in electrical building services. This way, you can act in an ecologically and economically forward-looking manner.
Unlike solar thermal systems, which are costly and maintenance-intensive, we at my-PV offer you solutions for more efficient use of your existing photovoltaic system. This way you can easily use your self-generated electricity for hot water and heating.
When should you think about combining my-PV and your photovoltaic system?
When purchasing a photovoltaic system
You already own a photovoltaic system and want to use more electricity yourself?
You already own a photovoltaic system and would like to renew the heating system in your house or renovate the entire building?
You want to build a new house and are looking for a cost-effective, economical building technology?
You want to renovate your house ecologically and sustainably?
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Our Reference Projects
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AC ELWA 2 in an architect's house
The new solar-electric heating element in a renovated single-family home in Upper Austria.
Read more...)
Photovoltaic heat in a 400-year-old farmhouse
A newly renovated agricultural building is used as a weekend house and is powered by the sun.
Read more...)
AC•THOR 9s and the Polish PV market
A Polish homeowner is responding to the conditions on the Polish PV market with the AC•THOR 9s.
Read more...)
Supporting the heat pump with ELWA
An uninsulated old building with hybrid heating in Thuringia benefits from solar energy in the buffer storage.
Read more...)
Refurbishment and PV heat as a blackout precaution
A resourceful Upper Bavarian benefits from the renovation of his house and implements PV heat as blackout precaution.
Read more...)
Photovoltaic heat for apartment building and holiday apartments
In the 500 m² multi-party house in Middle Franconia, hot water and heating are generated from photovoltaic energy.
Read more...References
my-PV Products in Use
With our innovative partners we help you to use solar power effectively, easily and economically for your own needs. Learn more in our reference projects.
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at our trusted suppliers
my-PV products help you to use your self-generated photovoltaic power for your own needs without any detours. You can find the right source of supply here:
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