Hello everyone,
The electrical installation will take place soon, and it is clear that we will be using an air-to-water heat pump.
Recently, I have been looking into the various electricity tariffs and noticed that only a few providers offer separate tariffs for heating electricity and household electricity (sometimes even more expensive than regular or basic electricity tariffs).
Is this still common or necessary today?
Is it mandatory to install a second meter exclusively for the heat pump operation?
Are there any specific requirements from the local electricity provider?
My electrician / site manager said that two meters would have to be installed:
3 slots
- 1 slot for household electricity
- 2 slots for the heat pump
- 3 slot unused
Online, I have read that in most cases a dual-tariff meter rarely results in cost savings overall.
Looking forward to your opinions.
Thank you.
Sinus1986
The electrical installation will take place soon, and it is clear that we will be using an air-to-water heat pump.
Recently, I have been looking into the various electricity tariffs and noticed that only a few providers offer separate tariffs for heating electricity and household electricity (sometimes even more expensive than regular or basic electricity tariffs).
Is this still common or necessary today?
Is it mandatory to install a second meter exclusively for the heat pump operation?
Are there any specific requirements from the local electricity provider?
My electrician / site manager said that two meters would have to be installed:
3 slots
- 1 slot for household electricity
- 2 slots for the heat pump
- 3 slot unused
Online, I have read that in most cases a dual-tariff meter rarely results in cost savings overall.
Looking forward to your opinions.
Thank you.
Sinus1986
toxicmolotow schrieb:
Two meters and a dual-rate meter (peak/off-peak) are not the same!
In the end, it’s a simple calculation.
If the discount for heating electricity is less than the additional basic charge of the meter, it’s pointless to install a second meter.
This assumes your energy supplier (freely selectable in Germany) does not exclude heating electricity in their terms.
It gets even worse for the second meter if you have rooftop photovoltaics combined with an electric vehicle.
I dare to say that for heating electricity consumption up to about 3000 kWh (1864 kWh) a second meter almost never pays off.You mean the basic fee the energy supplier charges, right?
We are also facing the decision whether to install a second meter or not.
We are installing an air-to-water heat pump and a 9.9 kWp solar system will be installed on the roof. However, we are opting not to install a battery storage.
T
toxicmolotof3 Feb 2017 20:45Exactly. And I am quite sure that the second meter is more expensive than what you can save.
If the second meter costs 120 euros per year, but the heating tariff is only 4 cents cheaper, you don’t save anything on the first 3000 kWh (3,200 kWh). Additionally, with two meters, you can’t use the photovoltaic system for hot water in the summer.
If the second meter costs 120 euros per year, but the heating tariff is only 4 cents cheaper, you don’t save anything on the first 3000 kWh (3,200 kWh). Additionally, with two meters, you can’t use the photovoltaic system for hot water in the summer.
toxicmolotow schrieb:
Exactly. And I'm pretty sure that the second meter costs more than what you can save.
If the second meter costs 120 euros per year, but the heating rate is only 4 cents cheaper, you don't save anything for the first 3000 kWh. In addition, with two meters, you cannot use the photovoltaic system for hot water in the summer.Why can’t I use the photovoltaic system for hot water in summer if there is a second meter?For us, the difference is 0.0663 USD per kWh between regular electricity and heat pump electricity.
Is it even allowed to connect the heat pump to the regular meter? In some cases, it might not be permitted at all. The grid operator wants to cut off power to the heat pump during peak load times. The discounted electricity rate exists precisely because the grid operator reserves the right to switch off the heat pump during peak hours.
At 0.0663 EUR per kWh and a fixed charge of 61.63 EUR, the break-even point is at 930 kWh. If 10,000 kWh (thermal) are needed and a coefficient of performance (COP) of 3.5 is achieved, the electric consumption would be 2,857 kWh.
In our calculation example, this results in an annual saving of 127.76 EUR.
If the second meter costs 800 EUR, this translates to a return of 15.97% or a payback period of 6 years and 3 months.
In the end, it’s all small change anyway. If allowed, I would connect the heat pump to the regular meter to avoid it being switched off.
Ultimately, the key is to have a clear discussion with the grid operator to find out what is permitted. Note that, even though they often work closely together, the standard energy supplier is not the same as the grid operator.
Is it even allowed to connect the heat pump to the regular meter? In some cases, it might not be permitted at all. The grid operator wants to cut off power to the heat pump during peak load times. The discounted electricity rate exists precisely because the grid operator reserves the right to switch off the heat pump during peak hours.
At 0.0663 EUR per kWh and a fixed charge of 61.63 EUR, the break-even point is at 930 kWh. If 10,000 kWh (thermal) are needed and a coefficient of performance (COP) of 3.5 is achieved, the electric consumption would be 2,857 kWh.
In our calculation example, this results in an annual saving of 127.76 EUR.
If the second meter costs 800 EUR, this translates to a return of 15.97% or a payback period of 6 years and 3 months.
In the end, it’s all small change anyway. If allowed, I would connect the heat pump to the regular meter to avoid it being switched off.
Ultimately, the key is to have a clear discussion with the grid operator to find out what is permitted. Note that, even though they often work closely together, the standard energy supplier is not the same as the grid operator.
T
toxicmolotof4 Feb 2017 00:37Baufie schrieb:
Why can’t I use the photovoltaic system for hot water in the summer if there is a second meter? Because the photovoltaic system is connected to the household electricity meter, while the hot water is connected to the other meter.
toxicmolotow schrieb:
Because the photovoltaic system is connected to the household electricity meter, but the hot water is on a different meter. I don’t understand that.
If the air-to-water heat pump is connected to a different meter than the photovoltaic system, it never makes sense to install a second meter when combining an air-to-water heat pump and photovoltaics.
Or am I missing something here?
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