As UK homeowners look for long term ways to cut energy bills and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, two technologies consistently rise to the top: solar PV systems and heat pumps. On their own, each delivers meaningful savings, but together, they can transform how a home generates, stores and uses energy.
For households across South East England, where electricity prices and decarbonisation targets continue to shape decisions, pairing solar panels with a heat pump is increasingly seen as the gold standard for low carbon heating.
How Solar PV and Heat Pumps Work Together
A heat pump uses electricity to extract heat from the air or ground and distribute it efficiently around your home. Unlike gas boilers, it does not burn fuel, making running costs highly dependent on electricity prices.
A solar PV system generates electricity during daylight hours. When these two technologies are combined, your home can use solar generated electricity to power your heat pump, dramatically reducing how much power you need to buy from the grid.
In simple terms:
- Solar panels produce electricity
- The heat pump uses that electricity to heat your home
- Less grid energy is required, lowering running costs
Why This Combination Makes Financial Sense
Heat pumps are highly efficient, but electricity costs remain high with prices staying volatile and unpredictable, becoming a concern for many homeowners looking to invest in a heat pump. Solar PV helps address this by offsetting a significant portion of the electricity demand with a correctly sized system.
Key financial benefits include:
- Lower annual heating costs
- Reduced exposure to electricity price volatility
- Improved return on investment for both systems
- Greater long term energy cost certainty
For homes with suitable roof space, solar PV can supply a meaningful share of a heat pump’s annual electricity needs – especially during spring, summer and autumn months.
The Role of Solar Battery Storage
Adding a solar battery significantly enhances the performance of a solar plus heat pump system. Without battery storage, surplus solar electricity is exported to the grid. With a battery, excess energy can be stored and used later when you need it most. Battery storage allows you to use more of your own self-generated free electricity, running your heat pump in the evening and overnight cheaper than using grid electricity. Reducing grid imports can save you money, but with battery storage, you can reduce, if not eliminate completely the need to purchase peak rate grid electricity.
Battery storage can help reduce reliance on grid electricity further with time of use tariffs, allowing you to charge your battery on cheap off peak rates for use during peak periods.
Is Solar Enough to Run a Heat Pump All Year?
Solar panels alone will not typically cover 100% of a heat pump’s electricity demand across the entire year – particularly in winter when heating demand is highest and daylight hours are shorter. However, solar PV can supply a large share of annual heat pump electricity and battery storage improves winter efficiency by shifting usage patterns. Grid electricity remains a backup, not the primary source of power, even in the winter months. The result? A substantial reduction in running costs and carbon emissions compared to a traditional gas fuelled heating system.
Planning Considerations Before Installing
To get the best results, a combined system should be designed as a whole, taking into consideration the size and capabilities of both the solar PV system and the heat pump. Important factors include:
- Roof orientation and available space for solar panels
- Property insulation and heat demand
- Heat pump size and operating temperatures
- Battery storage capacity
- Electrical infrastructure and grid connection
At SolarTherm UK, system design focuses on optimising solar PV output specifically to support heat pump operation, not just general household usage.
Environmental Benefits of the Solar and Heat Pump Combination
Beyond financial savings, pairing solar PV with a heat pump delivers major environmental advantages:
- Significant reduction in carbon emissions
- Lower reliance on fossil fuels
- Improved EPC ratings
- Future proofing against tightening energy regulations
As the UK electricity grid continues to decarbonise, the benefits of electric heating powered by solar energy will only increase.
Is a Solar PV and Heat Pump System Right for Your Home?
This combination is particularly well suited to homes undergoing renovation or heating upgrades with good roof space for solar panels. Homeowners looking to stabilise energy costs long term, with no plans to move within 10 years will receive the greatest benefits. While upfront costs are higher than installing either technology alone, the long term savings, resilience and sustainability benefits often justify the investment.
Final Thoughts
Solar PV and heat pumps are not just compatible, they are complementary. When designed correctly and supported by battery storage, they form a highly efficient home energy ecosystem that reduces bills, cuts carbon and protects against future energy price increases.
For homeowners across the South East, this pairing represents one of the most effective routes to low carbon, low cost heating. 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.
