Can You Get a Heat Pump with Solar Panels?

Yes — and it is one of the best combinations in home energy. A heat pump runs on electricity. Solar panels generate free electricity. Put the two together and you can heat your home for close to nothing. Here is how it works in practice.

Why Heat Pumps and Solar Work So Well Together

A heat pump is already efficient. For every 1kW of electricity it uses, it produces about 3kW of heat. But you still have to pay for that electricity — typically 24p per kWh on a standard tariff.

Solar panels generate electricity for free once they are installed. If your solar panels are producing electricity at the same time your heat pump is running, the heat pump runs on free power. The result: free heating.

Even when your solar panels are not generating enough to fully power the heat pump (on cloudy days, or in the evening), they reduce the amount of electricity you need to buy from the grid. Less grid electricity means lower bills.

How Much Can You Save?

The exact savings depend on your solar panel size, your heat pump demand, and how much you can shift your energy use to daylight hours. But as a rough guide:

• A typical heat pump for a three-bedroom house uses around 3,500–4,500 kWh of electricity per year for heating and hot water.
• A 4kW solar panel system generates around 3,400–3,800 kWh per year in the south of England.
• With smart scheduling (heating your hot water during the day when solar is generating), you can offset 60–70% of your heat pump's electricity use with solar.

In money terms, that could reduce your heat pump running costs from £900 per year to £300–£400. Over 20 years, that is an extra £10,000–£12,000 in savings.

Battery Storage: Extending the Benefit

The challenge with solar is timing. Solar panels generate most electricity in the middle of the day, but heating demand is highest in the morning and evening.

A battery storage system bridges this gap. Excess solar electricity generated during the day is stored in the battery and used later — to power the heat pump in the evening, for example. A typical home battery (5–10 kWh) can store enough to run a heat pump for several hours.

Batteries are an additional investment (typically £3,000–£6,000), but they significantly increase the proportion of solar electricity you use rather than export to the grid.

Hot Water: A Free Bonus

One of the simplest ways to use solar electricity is to heat your hot water during the day. Your heat pump has a hot water cylinder — you can programme it to heat the water at midday when solar generation peaks, rather than in the morning when there is no solar.

This does not require a battery. It just requires a timer or smart controls. The hot water stays hot in the cylinder until you need it. It is a straightforward way to use more of your free solar electricity.

Separate Grants Available

The £7,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme covers your heat pump installation. Solar panels have their own incentives — 0% VAT applies to solar panel installations as well, saving you roughly 20% on the cost.

The two grants are completely separate. You can claim the BUS grant for your heat pump and the VAT relief on your solar panels. There is no conflict between them.

System Sizing Considerations

If you are planning both a heat pump and solar panels, it is worth thinking about them together, even if you install them at different times.

• Solar panel size: A 4kW system is a good starting point for most homes. If you are also planning to charge an electric car, consider going larger (6–8kW).
• Roof orientation: South-facing roofs generate the most electricity. East-west facing roofs generate less per panel but spread generation across the day, which can actually work better with a heat pump.
• Heat pump controls: Modern heat pumps can be configured to run preferentially when solar generation is high. We set this up during commissioning.

Can Abode Install Solar Panels?

We specialise in heat pump installations. For solar panels, we work with trusted local solar installers across Dorset, Hampshire, and Wiltshire. We can recommend a partner and coordinate the projects so the two systems work together seamlessly.

If you already have solar panels, even better. We will design the heat pump system to take advantage of them from day one.