Stiebel Eltron Australia recently showcased their latest range of solar PV-ready domestic hot water heat pumps at the SMA Roadshow held in Melbourne.
Organised in the luxurious members’ area of the Victorian Caulfield Racecourse, SMA Australia’s fifth Solar Academy Roadshow for 2017 aimed to share technical expertise and advanced training for the industry’s latest trends and developments. Over the course of the day, installers, engineers and designers had an opportunity to get up close and personal with related products and have their questions answered.
The Stiebel Eltron team displayed the solar PV connectivity and other market-leading functions of the WWK 222 and WWK 302 heat pumps. National sales manager Glenn Day made a presentation on the benefits of using a hot water heat pump as an alternative thermal storage device instead of a conventional electric storage tank or a battery.
With lower solar feed-in tariffs, it makes sense for households to consume the energy generated by their solar PV system and not feed it into the grid. However, it’s also important to be smart about using the generated electricity.
Unlike conventional electric storage tanks, Stiebel heat pumps use only a fraction of the energy to heat up the same amount of water. Being up to 74% more efficient, the heat pump leaves enough power to run other household appliances. A smart energy management system such as the Sunny Home Manager from SMA ensures that the power generated by the solar PV system is used or stored in the best possible way.
A signal transmitter connects the solar PV system to Stiebel’s WWK heat pumps, raising the hot water temperature from 61°C to 65°C. This increase in hot water temperature equates to less hot water required to meet desired usage temperatures and therefore offers additional savings.
Stiebel’s solar PV-ready WWK hot water heat pumps are also maintenance-free thanks to a current impressed anode and can operate energy-efficiently in temperatures down to -5°C.
The SMA Solar Academy Roadshow is run several times a year across Australia. Attendees to the full day roadshow are eligible for CPD points.
