Money matters

How to gradually reduce your energy costs to a minimum

How many of us actually know how much we spend on energy each year? By this we mean heating and electricity costs and filling up the car with fuel. This can rapidly reach four-figure sums if there are several people living in the house. It stacks up over the years and with the ever increasing number of devices we use on a daily basis, it seems likely that energy costs are only headed in one direction.

PV systems as the first step towards energy independence

Those who have already invested in a PV system have taken the first step towards reducing their costs. Suppose that 25% of the energy required for a 4-person household is generated by the photovoltaic system. This results in annual savings of several hundred euros. The higher a country’s energy costs, the greater the potential savings. If mains electricity costs rise, the PV system pays for itself even quicker.

Hungry for more self-consumption?

Thanks to the Fronius Smart Meter, energy consumption can be fully monitored and intelligently controlled. So how does this save money? Quite simply, by using energy for your consumers when there is a surplus. If we take a pool pump as an example, both the rate of self-sufficiency and self-consumption can be significantly increased. And this reduces monthly electricity costs.

The Fronius Ohmpilot keeps you warm - and your household budget in the black

The Fronius Ohmpilot is the natural addition to the PV system for heat, making it possible to use solar energy to heat water for domestic use. For us, this means no primary heating energy is needed over the summer months, which protects the existing heating system, whether it be oil, wood or gas heating or heat pumps. The service life of the latter can be increased by 20% for example. As well as a boiler, the Fronius Ohmpilot can also be used to control other consumers such as electric underfloor heating or the heat pump.

Taking the next step with photovoltaics – it’s all about the storage system

If you want to use your solar energy even when the sun is not shining, then you need a storage system. The Fronius Symo Hybrid with Fronius Solar Battery or LG Chem RESU storage solution allows self-generated energy to be used in the evening or at night. Thanks to this short-term storage, we can reduce electricity costs by 60%.

Interested in even more potential savings?

And that’s not all. If a household drives an electric car instead of one with a combustion engine, they can lower their monthly energy costs even further. As an example, suppose that you travel 12,000 km a year in a diesel or petrol car. This fuel costs you around 1,000 euros. If you charge your electric car at least a third full with PV current instead, your fuel costs fall to 250 euros. That is a difference of 750 euros; money that we are sure could be put to better use.

Modular structure – for greater flexibility when planning a PV system

The Fronius PV system is so intelligently structured that the individual steps to independence can added sequentially. You do not need to use all the components either. So, at first you might only install the PV system with Smart Meter to take advantage of intelligent energy flow management. Then, the Ohmpilot or a storage system such as the Fronius Solar Battery could be added for greater self-consumption. Or you could operate the system without storage and simply use the PV system and the Ohmpilot. Customised systems can be created to suit personal preferences, electricity consumption behaviour and budget.

Four times the energy savings for all professionals

When you consider the system costs, we see that through full use of all options, the savings rise by a factor of four from purchasing a PV system to investing in a complete system. But even if you do not invest in an inverter, Smart Meter, storage system and Ohmpilot right from the start, the gradual expansion options are a great way to approach the world of solar energy. In line with our vision of 24 hours of sun, everyone can help drive the energy revolution forward. And several little steps make as great a difference as one big one.

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SOLAR ENERGY