As the UK moves away from gas and toward low carbon homes, electric heating – particularly heat pumps – is becoming a key part of the transition. However, one concern consistently raised by homeowners is running cost. This is where solar panels and battery storage plays a critical role.
By combining a solar PV system with electric heating, households across the South East can dramatically reduce reliance on grid electricity and unlock genuine free electricity for heating their homes.
Why the UK Is Moving Toward Electric Heating
The shift away from fossil fuels is being driven by several factors:
- Rising gas prices and long term price volatility
- Government decarbonisation targets
- Improved performance and availability of heat pumps
- Increasing electricity generation from renewable sources
Heat pumps are highly efficient, but they still require electricity. Without solar, this electricity is purchased from the grid, often at peak rates. Solar changes the economics completely, allowing you to use self-generated free electricity, even during expensive peak price windows.
How Solar Panels Power Electric Heating
A solar PV system generates electricity during daylight hours. Instead of exporting this power to the grid, it can be used directly in your home to power your lighting, appliances and heating systems:
- Air source or ground source heat pumps
- Circulation pumps and control systems
- Hot water cylinders with electric immersion elements
This means a significant proportion of your heating demand can be met using electricity generated on your own roof. For homes in the South East – one of the sunniest regions in the UK – solar generation aligns well with daytime heating demand, particularly in spring and autumn when temperatures are lower.
The Role of Battery Storage
While solar panels generate electricity during the day, heating demand often peaks in the morning and evening. This is where battery storage becomes essential. A home battery allows you to store surplus solar energy instead of exporting it, letting you run your heat pump during peak hours while your solar panels are not generating.
With the right battery size, and correct system setup, you can reduce or even eliminate your peak rate grid imports. Pairing your solar battery with time of use and off peak tariffs also allows you to import electricity at lower off peak rates for use during expensive periods.
Solar and Heat Pumps: A Cost Effective Combination
Heat pumps are extremely efficient, typically delivering 3-4 units of heat for every unit of electricity used. When that electricity comes from solar panels, the cost per kilowatt hour of heat drops significantly. Key financial benefits include:
- Lower annual heating bills
- Reduced exposure to energy price rises
- Improved return on investment for both solar and heating systems
- Increased property value and EPC rating
Rather than viewing solar panels and heat pumps as separate upgrades, installing them as part of a joined up energy strategy delivers far better results.
Supporting the Grid – and Your Energy Security
Electrification of heating increases demand on the national grid, especially during winter peaks. Solar and battery systems help reduce this pressure by generating electricity locally and smoothing household demand using stored energy. For homeowners, this also means greater energy independence and resilience, particularly as electricity tariffs become more time of use based.
Is Your Home Suitable?
Most homes considering electric heating can benefit from solar, but system design is critical. Roof size, orientation and shading can affect the efficiency of a solar PV system. Choosing a system that is large enough to cover your annual electricity and heating demand will help increase savings, but even a smaller system with battery storage can produce effective results. When it comes to solar and electric heating, battery storage can make a huge difference to your savings, ensuring your battery is large enough to cover your daily use is essential to maximising the efficiency of your solar PV and electric heating systems.
At SolarTherm UK we design systems that ensure your solar PV, battery storage and electric heating work together efficiently, not in isolation from one another.
Powering the Future of Heating
Electric heating is central to the UK’s low carbon future. When paired with solar panels and battery storage, it becomes not just sustainable, but affordable too. By generating and storing your own electricity, you can heat your home using clean and free electricity, while protecting yourself from rising peak energy prices.
If you’re considering a heat pump or plan on moving away from gas, now is the ideal time to explore how solar can support the transition. Contact SolarTherm UK today for a free, no obligation quote and design, tailored to your property, usage and future energy needs. No hard sell, just honest, expert advice.
Your home. Your energy. Your future.
FAQs
Can solar panels power a heat pump?
Yes. A solar PV system can supply electricity directly to a heat pump during the day, reducing the amount of power needed from the grid.
Do I need battery storage if I have electric heating?
Battery storage is not essential, but it significantly increases the amount of solar electricity you can use for heating in the evening and early morning.
Will solar still support heating in winter?
Yes. While winter generation is lower, solar panels still produce electricity, and when combined with battery storage and efficient heat pump operation, they can meaningfully reduce heating costs.
Is solar worth it if I already have a heat pump?
Absolutely. Adding solar panels to an existing heat pump system can lower running costs and improve overall system efficiency by increasing self-consumption.
Does solar make electric heating cheaper than gas?
In many cases, yes. When solar electricity is used to power a heat pump, the cost per unit of heat can be significantly lower than gas, especially as energy prices rise.
