Heating with photovoltaics is becoming increasingly popular due to the falling feed-in tariff and the price increases for fossil fuels. In this article, you will find out whether it makes sense, what advantages and disadvantages it has, and what options there are for heating with PV.
First things first
Does heating with PV make sense?
Heating with photovoltaics is a good way to increase self-consumption and save electricity costs.
How much does PV cost for heating?
Depending on the solution, the costs of a PV system for heating are between €20,000 and €50,000
What options are there?
To heat with PV, you also need a heat pump, a heating element or an infrared heater.
What are the disadvantages?
In addition to the higher investment costs, photovoltaics require a larger roof area for heating.
Does heating with photovoltaics make sense?
Heating with photovoltaics makes sense due to the high electricity prices and falling costs for photovoltaics. In addition, the feed-in tariff is falling. This makes self-consumption more worthwhile than feeding into the grid. Heating with photovoltaics is one way to increase self-consumption. Depending on the system, you can achieve a self-consumption share of up to 80%.
What are the advantages of heating with photovoltaics?
Heating with photovoltaics has many advantages. It reduces energy costs because self-generated electricity is up to 30 cents per kWh cheaper than other energy sources.
1. Reduction of energy costs
Due to the high demand and maturity of solar cell technology, the prices for photovoltaics have been falling for years. The cost of generating electricity is now only 3 to 11 cents per kWh. Meanwhile, energy prices are rising to record levels, meaning you can save up to 30 cents per kWh of solar power you use yourself. In addition, the feed-in tariff is falling, which means that feeding electricity into the grid is hardly worth it anymore.
The more solar power you generate and use yourself, the lower your energy costs will be. At the same time, you will be more independent.
2. Independence from energy suppliers
By installing a PV system, you can achieve a self-consumption rate of 25 to 35%. If you heat with photovoltaics, this increases to 50 to 60%. With a power storage and energy management system, you can even achieve 80%. This gives you a level of self-sufficiency of up to 70%, making you more independent of energy suppliers.
3. Price stability
In 2022, the price per kWh of electricity rose to 70 cents, only to then fall sharply again. The price development was unpredictable at the time. By heating with photovoltaics, you reduce your grid consumption and are less affected by fluctuating energy prices.
4. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Heating with photovoltaics also helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This system combination only emits around 100 g CO₂/kWh. Conventional energy sources such as gas and heating oil achieve emissions of up to 400 g CO₂/kWh. In addition, most emissions arise during production and transport. Operation is emission-free. For this reason, these systems are subsidized by the state.
5. State funding
The Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA) subsidizes up to 40% of the eligible costs for sustainable heating systems. State subsidies are available for photovoltaics in the form of the KfW loan 270 and the feed-in tariff. Other country-specific and municipal subsidies are available for heating with photovoltaics, depending on where you live.
6. Tax relief
Since the beginning of 2023, you do not pay sales tax when purchasing PV systems and accessories due to the zero tax rate for photovoltaics. The simplification regulation has also been extended to PV systems with up to 30 kWp, so that you are exempt from income and trade tax. However, you still have to register your PV system.
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What are the disadvantages of heating with photovoltaics?
The biggest disadvantage for many homeowners is high investment costs and large space requirements.
1. High investment costs
Heating with photovoltaics involves investment costs of €20,000 to €50,000, despite falling prices and zero tax rates. The heating system costs up to €30,000 and the PV system up to €20,000. If you add a power storage unit and energy management, the costs rise by up to €15,000. Although subsidies help to reduce costs, the initial investment is still expensive.
2. Installation space requirement
A PV system requires a large roof area of up to 60 square meters. If you heat with photovoltaics, you need a larger PV system and therefore around 25% more roof area. There is not always enough roof space for the installation. You also need additional installation space for a heat pump or infrared heating. This limits implementation.
What options are there for heating with solar power?
There are several options for heating with solar power. The most common is the combination of a heat pump with photovoltaics. Another option is the combination of a heating element and photovoltaics. Heating with infrared heating and photovoltaics is also possible, although this is a future system.
1. Photovoltaics with heat pump
The heat pump is a heating system that uses environmental heat for heating. These are renewable energy sources such as the air, groundwater or soil. The heat pump needs electricity to absorb and heat the environmental heat. You can generate up to 5 kWh of heat from 1 kWh of electricity. If you combine the heat pump with a photovoltaic system, you can reduce your heating costs by up to 60%. At the same time, you increase the profitability of the PV system through higher self-consumption.
2. Photovoltaics with heating element
If you combine a heating rod with photovoltaics, you can use them for heating and/or hot water preparation. The heating rod generates heat using electrical energy and heats the heating water in a buffer tank. This heat is used to prepare hot water or to support the heating system. The heating rod only uses excess solar power.
The combination of photovoltaics and heating elements is a simple system, as no additional pipe systems are required. However, this option is not very efficient.
3. Photovoltaics with infrared heating
Infrared heating is an electric heating system that uses infrared rays to distribute heat throughout the room. Infrared heating does not directly heat the air in the room, but only objects and people. Because the heating is done through radiation and not through heat convection, no moisture or oppressive air circulation is created.
Currently, infrared heaters are more suitable as additional heaters. They use a lot of electricity and are therefore often uneconomical. They make sense to use in combination with photovoltaics in highly efficient houses with low heat requirements. There they are particularly effective in the transition period between autumn and spring.
