Tamara and Franz live with their two children in a passive house.
Careful use of natural resources is very important to them.
So it is no surprise that they have had a photovoltaic system for a decade and have now taken it to the next level, upgraded the entire system and added a Smart Meter and battery storage system.
» We have had our PV system for ten years. We have never had even the slightest problem, which just goes to show that it makes sense to choose a premium manufacturer. «
“We have always endeavoured to use as much of our solar energy as possible. After we installed a Smart Meter, we realised that there was still some room for improvement. The analysis on Solar.web revealed that we need a lot of electricity between 02:00 and 04:00 each night, when the dishwasher is on. We still switch the device on at night, but the power now comes from the battery. This simple measure has increased our degree of self-consumption,” says Franz.
Analysis of the data from the PV system revealed that the family could use significantly more of their electricity and become even more energy independent if they had a storage system. Since the solar battery was installed, not only do they benefit from their PV energy during the day, the storage system supplies solar energy during the evening and night. This allows the family of four to use their own PV energy for lighting, cooking and any other electronic appliance, even after the sun has set.
“We also run our heat pump with electricity from our photovoltaic system. So we hardly buy any electricity from the grid in summer or winter and are already very close to achieving energy independence,” reports Tamara.
Franz says about the battery: “At first we had a relatively small storage system, but recently we increased the battery size. This enhances our independence even further. "
The battery system is very flexible, thus it can be easily expanded at any time with additional battery modules.
With the expansion of the battery modules, the family increases their degree of self-sufficiency to around 90 %.
In the event of a power outage, Tamara and Franz enjoy energy independence thanks to “PV Point”, the integrated basic backup power supply.
The hybrid inverter supplies a socket if backup power is required. For example, you can charge a smartphone and receive information even during a prolonged power outage, giving that all-important peace of mind.
Simply clever: the passive house itself requires very little heating. The heat pump only has a low output. Even on a cloudy day, the PV system produces enough electricity to run the heat pump with solar energy, so it has been set to be active around midday. A comfortable level of heat and water for the shower are also provided courtesy of the sun.
For Tamara, gradual expansion of the energy system was a huge plus point: “I think it’s great that you can keep extending the system. Ten years ago we didn’t expect to have a storage facility. Today it makes economic sense. Our next car will definitely be electric. Then we can charge this with our own solar energy as well. This will make us independent when it comes to transport too.”