solar assisted heat pumps?

wazzoraybelle

Does anyone know if these are available here or any opinions on it's viability?
The solar refers to solar water heating not photovoltaics.
Thanks.

sinnerboy

Most heat pump suppliers will say don't combine heat pump and solar because you simply extend capital outlay and delay payback period

the solar panel can assist best when it is is needed least - summertime

yes the solar panels will assist the COP of the heat pump - but not by enough to justify the cost of solar .

Better to divert the spend into an airtight building and or ( cracked record - more insulation )

But straight answer - they are available and viable

.

AckwelFoley

sinnerboy wrote: »

Most heat pump suppliers will say don't combine heat pump and solar because you simply extend capital outlay and delay payback period

the solar panel can assist best when it is is needed least - summertime

yes the solar panels will assist the COP of the heat pump - but not by enough to justify the cost of solar .

Better to divert the spend into an airtight building and or ( cracked record - more insulation )

But straight answer - they are available and viable

.

yup, ^ what he said.

Some suppliers *cough* will give the solar at a reduced rate as part of the deal.

But even at that its hardly worth it.

heinbloed

To run a heatpump efficiently you'll need a heating system COP of at least 4.6.Even the best heatpumps won't achieve this in the winter.Therefore geothermal(the soil-based ones!) heatpumps HAVE to connect to a secondary low-temperature heating source, giving back the storage media it's energy.The soil that had been warmed up by the sun in summer will cool down in the winter due to lack of sunshine and the cooling of the heatpump heatexchanger.And the cheapest is the thermal solar power.The major heatpump manufacturers have already reacted to that fact, they have been criticised heftily by users, physicians, enviromentalists and installers not delivering what had been promised - energy saving.They even lost state subsidies in the German market (their largest in the EU) because of ****ty design.But alas, they have come up with a solution: using thermal solar power to enhace efficiency.Check the www. for the established heatpump manufacturers and ask them how to combine solar thermal energy with their heatpump. Forget the incompetent installers.
But if solar energy must be aplied to make a heatpump efficient then one wonders why there has to be a heatpump at all, why the house is not heated with solar thermal energy at first....

heinbloed

www.aquasol-solartechnik.de www.alpha-innotec.de www.buderus.de (Bosch)