A homeowner in Lombardy, Italy, is reaping the rewards of using not one but two renewable energy sources to heat their home and produce hot water. Thanks to Panasonic’s intelligent technologies and the ease at which they can be integrated with other systems, an Aquarea 7kW-heat pump is harnessing the energy from the property’s 3kW-solar panels on the roof to ensure energy efficiencies and financial savings.  

The resident had wanted to make the most of the energy produced by the photovoltaic panels, and made enquiries about whether it was possible to link the panels to a heat pump.  An Aquarea heat pump was installed, and the two technologies are synced and managed using a Heat Pump Control Manager (HPM). The HPM can be adjusted to optimize the heat output of the heat pump, as a function of the independent production of energy.  

Thanks to the HPM, it is possible to manage and exploit the overproduction of electrical energy – as captured by the photovoltaic panels - and store it in the form of hot water by using the Aquarea heat pump.  

This project is a brilliant example of how considerable financial savings can be made by integrating technologies in the home. Through making the most of renewable and reliable energy sources such as energy from the sun, households are able to guarantee a warm and comfortable home for years and years to come, without having to worry about increases in energy prices.   

The heating system uses an Aquarea Bi-block High Performance 7kW (High Connectivity Hot and Cold), which is connected to solar thermal and photovoltaic panels. In this configuration, when the solar panels produce sufficient energy to cover the consumption of the heat pump, the water temperature stored inside the tank increases up to 55°C. For this particular installation, an outdoor unit was installed in the courtyard of the property and the hydronic kit in the utility room below, along with the HPM.  

Alessandro Ferrara, Regional Key Account for Panasonic said: "Our Heat Pump Manager is the only programmable controller on the market that can manage a heat pump based on photovoltaic energy production.  This product offers the market several benefits including speed of installation, efficient and well-integrated installations and commissioning of the system”.
 

Using the HPM control system enabled the owner to cut heating costs while maintaining high performance heating and cooling even in adverse weather conditions. The HPM also enables the homeowner to monitor the Aquarea remotely.  

Gaetano Nigro, Regional Key Account for Panasonic, said: "The homeowner has been more than satisfied with the choice of Aquarea and HPM. 
He said he chose Panasonic because he wanted the reliability of a well-known brand. The ease of connecting the solar panels and Aquarea heat pumps was also a key motivation."