A green and efficient solution
Photovoltaic or solar panels are devices that are used to efficiently generate clean and renewable energy. Most governments in Europe today promote the installation of photovoltaic panels both in residential buildings as well as in commercial and industrial, through various policies, incentives, and initiatives as part of their green transition plans. Property owners can get a variety of financial incentives and regulatory support to install solar panels, with government agencies actively promoting through educational campaigns the benefits of solar panels in new buildings and renovations.
Solar panels play a significant role in promoting sustainability and energy independence, allowing users to manage their energy consumption and optimizing savings. This is due to the flexibility of solar-powered systems, which can generate electricity, support domestic water heating, and providing space heating and cooling.
Electric heating products and solutions are a perfect complement to solar panels, providing indoor comfort and full heating as well as sustaining safe, snow- and ice-free outdoor environments. Concrete examples for indoor use are:
- Total underfloor heating when the electric heating system is the only heating source in the room
- Comfort floor heating as a supplementary heating to the central radiator heating
- Heating of domestic hot water pipes, also enabling neutralization of dangerous microbes Legionella
- Mirror heating with electric heating cables or films to ensure mist free mirrors
All electric heating systems are equipped with thermostats to ensure efficient and sustainable energy use and cost savings.
Key outdoor applications of sustainable electric heating solutions are:
- Roof and gutter protection, to avoid icicles and protect outdoor roof structures
- Asphalt and snow-melting products, to ensure driveways and staircases are free of ice and snow during winter
The principle is similar – electric heating cables are installed at the edge or roof perimeter, below the asphalt or inside the stairs’ construction. Thanks to the accuracy of our outdoor sensors, when temperatures approach the critical threshold, the thermostat seamlessly activates the heating system. This automatic response effectively warms the surface, mitigating the potential hazards of roof icing and slippery surfaces outdoors.
When combined with photovoltaics, electric heating is an ideal home heating solution for well-insulated new builds, benefitting residents and buildings owners alike. All of these advantages mean builders are increasingly turning to electric heating as an economically viable and sustainable heating source.
For cold climates, electric heating cables can also support PV panels free of snow all year around. This means increased electricity production, efficiency, and ultimately, significant savings.
In short, the combination of electric floor heating for indoor and solar panels is an energy-efficient option for homeowners.
Additional benefits of electric heating solutions for the home
As a homeowner, you have additional benefits to these green and cost-efficient electric heating-PV panels combined solutions:
- Fast warm-up period: Due to the lighter floor construction, the electric heating system warms up in less than 30 minutes. Room sensors further help to achieve the right comfort level in each room.
- Digital control for your solutions: Residents can use the digital thermostat to regulate floor heating, including setting the optimal room temperature for the time of day, typically also remote through apps.
- Better utilization of the room space: no radiators taking space in the walls
- Simple installation and therefore, faster and less expensive
- No maintenance required
A case in point: New build in Dortmund, Germany
This family house project was completed in 2019, consisting of six houses, each split into two apartments for rent – totaling 12 apartments altogether. The decision to follow the KFW-40 Plus standard (near-zero
energy houses), automatically meant that the house had to be built with solar panels and battery for storage. Using 30-year timeframe, corresponding to the construction loan duration, the most economical and efficient solution was proven to be direct electric heating with decentral ventilation and flow through water heaters for domestic hot water.
One decisive point was the possibility of extremely fast and uncomplicated laying of thin heating mats under the screed. The screed works as a buffer during operation that absorbs heat and releases it constantly. This manner of applying heating mats, perfectly suited for new builds, optimizes the already high efficiency of the underfloor heating. For the building near Dortmund, 6 cm of screed was considered sufficient in terms of using it also for heat storage. The heating mats chosen were 100 W/m2. The actual heat load of the house was much lower (40-60 W/m2), and therefore the use of an efficient thermostat matched the output according to needs.
The choice of the heating mats proved for the builder’s group as the right choice in many ways: next to the ease of planning and installation, the solution was more economical. The investment costs for direct electric heating were much lower compared with other possible solutions: for this specific case, the calculated installation cost for each house was approximately 10.000 Euro below the calculated cost for alternative solutions – or about 33% savings. Another benefit of direct electric floor heating is the very low to near zero maintenance coupled with a long product lifetime of more than 50 years, which is unmatched by other heating solutions. Electric floor heating is also a space efficient solution where the investor could save ~2m2 floor area in the technical room which should have been used for the alternative equipment.
Overall, the TCO balance (Total Cost of Ownership) of the electric floor heating solution in this project due to low heating load of building (near-zero energy houses) and the use of self-produced solar power was very sound. After two heating seasons the conclusion from both investor and tenants was clear: the heating costs by all twelve apartments are averaging at around 100 Euro and below, when the total is split equally on monthly basis. When considering the feed-in solar power added to the grid, the house becomes CO2 neutral. With outstanding indoor living comfort, no compromises have been made – making the case a success across the board.
Consumption data*:
Heating consumption without solar power: 3.546 kWh
Heating consumption with solar power: 2.492 kWh
Savings with solar power: 29,7%
*consumption data from 1 specific house out of the 12 pcs.
Annual Heating costs:
Electricity price for heating:
26,42 Eurocent/KWh (August 2022 – EmBw Baden-Wüttemberg)
Heating costs without solar power: 937 Euro per year
Heating costs with solar power: 658 Euro per year
Benefits of Electric Heating:
- >50 years lifetime
- Measurable Investment savings
- Best choice for renewable solutions
- Ease of installation
- Perfect solution for nearly zero energy buildings
- Low maintenance cost
- Energy saving
- Reducing CO2 emissions
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