» In summer we need virtually no electricity from the grid – we produce 98% of the energy ourselves. «
While other homeowners only install a PV system to begin with, the Gahleitner family deliberately decided to make themselves as independent as possible from the public grid. One of the ways they have achieved this is by using an 11.52 kW storage system from BYD.
During a tour of their ultra-modern house, which overlooks a reservoir, the young couple enthusiastically point out the technical highlights.
“We also installed a battery to store our electricity. We have PV energy during the day and at night,” reports Martin Gahleitner. They keep track of the system data via the Fronius Solar.web online portal.
Miriam and Martin’s system produces so much solar energy that they can also charge their electric car with it. At the moment, they are still plugging the car into a 230 V household socket, but they hope to install an e-car charging station soon.
Miriam and Martin also rely on PV electricity for their hot water. Their heating system takes a break in summer as they can switch it off from March to October.
Miriam and Martin’s energy system also includes an electricity-producing pellet heating system, which supplies power in the event of a blackout.
“At the moment, we have a 93 percent self-sufficiency rate across the year. I believe we can push this even further. For example, we could further optimise our energy management system and switch on loads in a more targeted manner. During the summer we are already almost self-sufficient, as we use PV energy to heat our water. And in winter, there are still a few adjustments we can make to maximise our self-sufficiency,” says Miriam confidently.