Win the war on energy – with PV panels and a heat pump
There’s only one way to deal with Putin’s power ploy, and that’s to
Vladimir Putin unleashed an energy war when he turned off Europe’s gas taps and sent prices skyrocketing. But there’s a lot we can do to fight back – even apart from getting State supports and switching providers (which now offers savings of €1,217, according to Bonkers.ie). Two other big weapons in the energy wars are solar panels and heat pumps. Grants for installing both of these systems have doubled this year – while the energy costs they can save have also increased by the same margin to date. This makes them a much more attractive proposition. Before, they were a must-have if you wanted to fight climate change. Now they are vital tools in the fight for financial survival as energy bills head for more than €4,000 a year.
But how much do solar panels and heat pumps cost? What grants are available? And how much can they can save now?
Here’s the latest data:
Every cloud has a silver lining – even shocking increases in energy costs. Norman Crowley, head of energy firm and advisers CoolPlanet (See also A Question of Money, opposite) reckons that soaring energy costs have cut the payback period for solar panels to just three years making them a compelling proposition for businesses.
‘At the moment, a three-year payback means that every euro you invest in solar is putting money in the bank [based on current prices].’
However, CoolPlanet works mainly with businesses which have massive economies of scale and big roofs compared to typical houses. Dublin-based company, Manhattan Peanuts Ltd, probably best known for its popcorn, partnered with another company, UrbanVolt, to install a solar array, inset right, at its site in Finglas, Co. Dublin. By generating its own solar energy, Manhattan will save 152 metric tonnes of CO2 annually – equivalent to driving around the world 15 times.
The solar panels have generated close to 80,000kWh of electricity since they started operating in February 2022 – worth €27,000 at current domestic electricity prices.
During the months of June and July, 60% of Manhattan’s energy usage came from the solar panels.
It expects that, overall, 40% of its energy usage will come from solar power, saving tens of thousands of euros. But not everyone has a factory roof to house massive banks of solar panels. And even energy agency, the SEAI, is scrambling to keep up with the potential saving figures for domestic users as energy costs keep rocketing.
‘We are in the process of updating our solar PV calculator and will have a new version available in coming weeks. We regularly update our fuel and electricity costs on our calculators to reflect more recent levels,’ says an SEAI spokeswoman.
‘Having said that, they are fluctuating significantly at the moment so it’s most important that the homeowners and motorists use the calculators for guidance but then use their actual circumstances and tariffs to see precisely what they will save.’
However when pressed, she did offer the following guidelines as to what could be saved.
‘On a [smaller] 3m2 solar thermal system, a homeowner’s electricity usage for hot water may reduce by 1,200–1,500kWh per year, resulting in a saving of approx €250 to €350 depending on unit cost of energy. Again there are several variables that impact this figure so this is approximate.
‘For solar PV [producing electricity], there are several variables that influence the energy savings that you make including roof orientation, roof angle, usage profile, unit cost of energy et cetera. But a typical 2kWp [kilowatt-peak] system on a south-facing roof could potentially deliver savings in excess of €400 per year.’
Heat pumps were invented 150 years ago but have only recently become popular as we move away from fossil fuels.
By March this year, there were already 15 million across Europe. But the number will be growing rapidly as the crisis worsens. Like electric cars, heat pumps need electricity to work. But good ones use that energy incredibly efficiently to create the equivalent of four times as much energy/heat as they use.
They do this by drawing residual heat from the air, ground or even water and using it to heat your home. Your water will be heated to a lower temperature than usual but the heating remains on 24 hours a day. For the magic to work, good insulation and double glazing are essential to
limit heat loss. Houses must be rated B2 or higher, ruling out a lot of older homes.
Barry Kearns of BK Heat Pumps did not want to estimate how much a heat pump could save. ‘It depends on lots of factors,’ he said. ‘If there’s an old oil boiler we could easily be 70% cheaper than the oil boiler. But it depends on the house.’
He did give an example of his own home telling us: ‘My own house is 3,000sq.ft in an estate of 14/15 houses. Everyone else is on LPG gas.
‘I’m the only one there whose bills are €1,700 a year for everything including hot water and house lights. Some people are spending €3,000 in gas alone.’
The SEAI did give us a rough estimate on what could be saved in the average home, however.
A spokeswoman said: ‘There are several variables regarding the actual cost, and some energy suppliers will also give different discounts if the dwelling is using a day/night meter or smart meters. For heat pumps, typical annual savings are approximately €450.’