I love how long sunny spells just spontaneously *materialize*, when the forecast says all clouds all day every day for the foreseeable future. And during TOP-4, too.
*knocks on wood*
Anyway, the sun is adding to my room temperature which started at 15°C and is now 16.5, and the #infrared panels are keeping me toasty on 100% #solar power. I'm #heating for free. Battery is nearly full.
How's your day going?
@Coffee This summer I installed a heatpump, a solar array and a Sunamp phase-change heat battery. The solar panels charge the heat battery and the heatpump does the central heating. Finally, I'm building a system for individual room control, using electric valves with smart WiFi thermometers and relays. It's an ongoing Open Source project.
This November, a run of wet, overcast days saw the solar array producing very little. But the heating works fine!
@tramontana
Sounds like a great setup! Are these PV panels?
@Coffee Yes, 12 panels with a maximum rating of 3.6Kw. The Sunamp heat battery, charged by excess PV power (with a grid boost option), is smaller than an under-counter fridge, delivers hot water at a constant temperature and avoids the need for a gigantic hot water cylinder. It also means the heat pump, which only does heating, can run at its most efficient temperature. For these reasons it makes great sense to keep hot water and central heating systems separate.
That SunAmp heat battery looks pretty cool. I actually used to work in PCMs. I'm assuming you're pretty happy with it?
@BE @Coffee
Re the Sunamp: Very happy with it so far (a few months). It's unobtrusive, silent and efficient. The output water temperature is constant right up to the point all the charge is gone. We use an Eddi solar diverter to mop up excess power until the Sunamp is full (it holds 6Kwh); this tells us how much charge it supplied today. I would like to add an electric battery for the summer months when there's a bigger excess, but funds don't currently run to it.