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Installing solar panels is one of the best ways to reduce your reliance on the grid and take control of your home’s energy usage. However, many homeowners quickly discover that generating your own electricity is only part of the challenge. The real value comes from making sure you use as much of the electricity you generate as possible.
During sunny periods, solar panels can often produce more electricity than a home needs. If appliances are not running, nobody is at home and there is no way to store that excess energy, it will simply be exported back to the grid.
While exporting electricity through a Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) tariff means that you can receive payments for the energy you do not use, these rates are generally quite low. Homeowners are now looking for ways to maximise their solar investment by keeping more of that renewable energy within their own home.
One increasingly popular solution is a Sunamp heat battery. Unlike a traditional home battery, which stores electricity, a Sunamp stores energy as heat. This means surplus solar electricity can be converted into stored thermal energy, ready to provide your hot water whenever it is needed.
For homeowners with solar PV, a Sunamp can be an effective way to increase your self-consumption, reduce your reliance on imported electricity from the grid, and make better use of the renewable energy your solar panels generate.
One of the biggest challenges with solar PV is that the energy generation and household demand do not always happen at the same time. Solar panels usually generate the most electricity around the middle of the day when sunlight levels are highest. However, this is often when household energy usage is at its lowest. Many people are out at work or school, and the appliances that use the most electricity are not necessarily running.
By contrast, most households use more energy in the mornings and evenings. This is when people are preparing breakfast, cooking dinner, using appliances and relaxing at home. Unfortunately, this is also when solar panels are producing little or no electricity.
Without a way to store that excess generation, your options are limited. You can use the electricity immediately, export it back to the grid, or store it for later. Most people are familiar with electrical battery storage, however storing energy as heat is another highly effective option.
A Sunamp heat battery stores energy using an advanced phase change material (PCM). Instead of storing a large volume of hot water like a traditional cylinder, it stores thermal energy within a compact unit, and releases that energy when hot water is required.
When your solar panels are generating more electricity than your home needs, that surplus energy can be used to charge the Sunamp. Later in the day, when you need hot water for a shower, bath, or washing up, the stored energy is released to heat fresh mains water instantly.
This allows you to use the electricity generated by your solar panels when it is most valuable, rather than exporting it to the grid and buying it back later.
For many solar PV owners, increasing self-consumption is the key to achieving the best possible return from their system. Self-consumption simply means using the electricity you generate yourself, rather than purchasing electricity from your supplier.
The more of your own renewable energy you use, the less electricity you need to buy. A Sunamp helps to achieve this by providing another way to use your surplus solar generation. Instead of exporting excess electricity, your solar power can be stored as heat and used later when your household needs hot water.
This is particularly useful during the spring and summer months, when solar generation can be high and export levels can increase significantly.
When homeowners think about storing energy, they usually immediately think about batteries. Home battery storage is an excellent solution and allows you to store electricity for use in the evening or during periods of low generation. However, hot water is one of the biggest energy demands in many homes, and storing solar energy as heat can be a very efficient way to reduce your energy costs.
A Sunamp Thermino is designed specifically for this purpose. It allows you to store renewable energy in a form that you will use every day. For many households looking to move towards a more energy efficient, all-electric home, combining solar PV with thermal energy storage can make a huge difference.
Traditional hot water cylinders have been used in UK homes for many years, but they are not always the most practical solution for modern homes. A cylinder requires a significant amount of space, stores a large volume of water, and can lose heat over time through standing losses.
A Sunamp Thermino works differently. By storing energy within a phase change material rather than a tank of hot water, it provides a compact alternative while still delivering mains pressure hot water. This makes Sunamp particularly useful for properties where space is limited, or where homeowners want to move away from traditional hot water storage.
The compact design of the Sunamp Thermino range means it can often be installed in locations where a conventional cylinder would not be suitable, making it an attractive option for renovations, smaller homes, and modern energy-efficient properties.
A Sunamp and a home battery can complement each other because they store energy in different ways. A home battery stores electricity to power your household appliances, lighting, electric vehicle charging and other electrical loads. A Sunamp stores energy specifically for hot water.
By using both technologies together, homeowners can optimise how they use their solar generation. The battery can focus on supplying electricity when it is needed, while the Sunamp provides an efficient way to store energy for hot water.
For many solar PV owners, combining solar panels, battery storage and a heat battery creates a highly efficient home energy system.
Solar panels are not the only way to charge a Sunamp. Many homeowners are now taking advantage of smart or time-of-use tariffs, which offer cheaper electricity at certain times of the day. A Sunamp can be charged during these lower cost periods, allowing you to heat your water when electricity prices are lower.
This can be particularly useful during the winter months, when solar generation is significantly reduced, or for households that want greater control over how and when they use energy. Combining solar PV, smart tariffs, and a Sunamp gives homeowners more flexibility and helps them make better use of renewable and lower cost electricity.
A Sunamp heat battery can be a valuable addition to a solar PV system, particularly for homeowners who regularly export excess electricity, want to increase their solar self-consumption, or are looking to replace and ageing hot water cylinder.
A Sunamp is also a great option for homes where space is limited, where an air source heat pump is being installed, or where the aim is to create a more energy-efficient home.
Every property is different, so the benefits will depend on your solar system size, household energy usage, and hot water requirements. For many households, a Sunamp provides a practical way to get more value from the renewable energy they are already generating.
Sunamp heat batteries are available in different sizes to suit different households and hot water demands. The right model will depend on factors such as the number of people living in your home, how much hot water you use, whether you have solar PV or battery storage, and the available installation space.
Choosing the correct size is important. A correctly sized Sunamp will provide enough stored energy for your household, without paying for more capacity than you need.
Solar PV is already helping thousands of homeowners reduce their energy bills and lower their carbon footprint. However, the biggest benefits come from using as much of the electricity you generate as possible.
A Sunamp heat battery provides a simple and effective way to store surplus solar energy as heat, giving you hot water when you need it while reducing wasted renewable generation.
Whether you are installing solar panels or looking for ways to improve an existing PV system, a Sunamp can help you get more from every kilowatt-hour your panels produce.
We specialise in renewable energy solutions including solar PV, battery storage, and Sunamp heat batteries. Our team can help you understand whether a Sunamp is right for your home.
