The solar thermal and heat pumps are a viable solution to optimize energy consumption and reduce costs in the bill. The first is an efficient system for producing domestic hot water and heating your home thanks to the exploitation of green and renewable energy from the sun. Heat pumps, on the other hand, are a heating technology that transfers heat through the use of natural energy sources (air, water or earth).

Let’s see the differences between these eco-friendly heating systems to understand which of the two is more suitable for your home, so as to install an efficient and performing technology based on your needs.

Heat pump or Solar Thermal: The Differences

heating cooling system

The heat pump is a technology capable of guaranteeing both the needs of domestic hot water and of heating and cooling for a residential unit. How? The heat pump system uses the heat of an external renewable source – water, air or earth depending on the type of system – exploiting the energy already present to heat a room or sanitary water. The heat pump extracts heat from the subsoil or from the air, using it to heat a house or extracts heat from the latter to cool it during the summer months.

The solar thermal system, on the other hand, is a system that transforms solar energy into thermal energy. Through the solar panel, the light produced by the sun reaches the absorber which, in turn, transfers the heat to a heat carrier fluid, transported by a pump. In addition to the production of domestic hot water, solar thermal can be used as a supplement to the heating system: it is an excellent solution for saving money on the bill since, in the case of temperatures that are not excessively rigid, it is possible to keep the device off main heating thanks to the presence of solar thermal.

Heat Pump: Advantages

Heat pumps use clean and free energy from air, water and subsoil to produce domestic hot water as well as provide for heating or cooling of the rooms. The advantages of this technology are:

  • R Supervisory Department of the environment : it is a sustainable heating technology and environmentally conscious because it is based on the transfer of heat from a source of clean and renewable energy. The latter can be external air, groundwater or the ground. In this way, renewable thermal energy is exploited, significantly reducing the environmental impact;
  • Optimizing consumption : the heat pumps can reach a COP (coefficient of performance which measures the ratio between the transferred thermal energy and the consumed electricity) up to 5 and, if combined with a photovoltaic system, minimize energy consumption;
  • Lowering of costs in the bill : the production of thermal energy through a heat pump guarantees savings on heating costs, compared to other technologies such as electric or gas water heaters.

Tax Deductions:

lowering taxes

  • Relaunch Decree Bonus 110%: the facilitation provided by the Relaunch Decree raises the deduction rate of expenses incurred from 1 July 2020 to 31 December 2021 to 110%, for specific interventions in the field of energy efficiency (jump of 2 classes of building efficiency), anti-seismic interventions, replacement of existing winter air conditioning systems with condensing boilers, heat pumps, hybrids, solar thermal and heat pump water heaters (driving interventions) and installation of photovoltaic systems or infrastructures for charging electric vehicles in buildings (towed interventions).
  • Budget Law 2020, Bonus 65%: the subsidy provides for the rate of 65% for specific energy efficiency interventions including the installation of heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, hybrid generators, condensing boilers with advanced thermoregulation and solar collectors for the production of hot water.
  • Thermal Account: provides for capital account incentives on interventions to increase energy efficiency and the production of thermal energy from renewable sources.

Solar Thermal: Advantages

The sun is the renewable energy source par excellence. Solar thermal is based on the transformation of solar energy into thermal energy, constituting a convenient and advantageous choice for several reasons:

Heat Pump or Solar Thermal: The Differences

  • Eco-friendly technology: solar thermal exploits a free, renewable and always available source of energy – the sun – eliminating emissions of CO2, sulfur oxides and pollutants with a positive impact on our planet;
  • Savings on the bill: solar thermal can cover up to 70% of the needs of a household for domestic hot water with a significant reduction in costs in the gas bill and a net saving of energy for the production of domestic hot water;
  • Increase in the value of the home: the installation of a solar thermal system can increase the value of a home thanks to the improvement of the energy class and the increase in the energy efficiency of the building;
  • Thermal Account and tax deductions: those who decide to invest in energy efficiency by choosing renewable sources for the production of thermal energy can enjoy the tax incentives provided by the Thermal Account with a deduction of up to 65% on the invoice. In addition, you can also enjoy tax deductions of 65% and 110%.

Heat Pump and Solar Thermal: What if it were both?

The most ecological and efficient solution to produce domestic hot water is to combine the two heating technologies in order to maximize the exploitation of renewable energy sources. In fact, solar thermal can be perfectly combined with the heat pump, especially for the production of domestic hot water, to create a nearly zero emission building (NZEB), the future of sustainable construction.

Furthermore, combining heat pump and solar thermal is very convenient when the heat pump is reversible – that is, it is used during the summer to cool rooms – since it can always be available for cooling, while solar thermal can take care of production. of domestic hot water.