If you’ve got a heat pump but have yet to make the jump to install solar panels on your roof through a solar panel installation company in Sydney, then you are missing out on potential savings of hundreds of dollars more per year.
How Do You Integrate a Solar Panel System and Heat Pump Water Heater?
Integrating these two technologies is the best way to move toward greater energy efficiency in the household. One of the best ways to do this is to use a solar diverter. This technology allows you to fully capitalise on your solar panel installation by diverting any energy not already in use by whatever your solar panels are powering into usable electrical energy.
To ensure that your solar panels and hot water heat pump are performing optimally, check that your hot water heat pump has a recovery rate (the amount of water in litres that it recovers from the air per hour) of at least 189 litres per hour. However, for larger households with larger water requirements, hot water heat pumps that produce above this number are recommended. In addition, you’ll want to ensure that your solar panel system can handle the volume of water needed to be heated by producing enough electricity to run your heat pump water heater effectively.
If you’re noticing that your solar panels aren’t keeping up with the demand, see if you have enough space to install more solar panels, or install a solar battery array to give yourself storage options for energy.
What is the Cost of Installing a Solar Panel System for a Hot Water Heat Pump?
So, you may desire to integrate your existing hot water heat pump into a new solar panel installation. But how much does it cost to install a residential solar panel system?
As of January 2024, the average 6kw solar system price was an average of $6,290. The average size of a typical home solar system is 8kw. However, a larger home with a more strenuous electrical setup could benefit from a 10kw solar system. Many smaller or medium-sized commercial buildings could also capitalise on the advantages of solar energy, even in larger systems like 13kw solar panels.
While it may be easy to sing the praises of the efficiency and overall savings of a hot water heat pump system, the cost to install a heat pump is still relatively high. Last year, the cost average was between $4,000 and $7,000 for a family of four that uses an average of 50L per day.