18/04/2023

KOSTAL and Brunner: a sustainable combination

How inverters and heat pumps complement each other

The new partnership between KOSTAL and the heating system specialist Brunner offers photovoltaic system operators the optimum combination of inverter and heat pump. The Brunner Smart Home Module (BSH) exchanges data with KOSTAL's PLENTICORE plus, allowing excess PV yields to be used for hot water and heating energy. Simple. Smart. Sustainable.

Moving towards the energy revolution with KOSTAL and Brunner

A large proportion of the energy required by private households is used for heating and hot water. Conventionally, this energy is still largely obtained from oil or gas. Due to rising energy prices and measures to reduce CO2 emissions, even today the heat pump is a good alternative, especially in new buildings and if implemented during renovation work.

A photovoltaic system is the perfect complement to this, because a large proportion of the electrical energy required comes directly from your own roof. This saves money and protects the environment – energy is generated where it is needed.

This is where local sector coupling comes into play. This means that the "heat" and "electricity" sectors are growing together. The German government is aiming for an annual increase of 500,000 heat pumps from 2024. KOSTAL and Brunner are combining their expertise and offering customers high-quality solutions in this area.

Smart combination of inverter and heat pump

Thanks to its network interface and Modbus TCP support, it is easy for the PLENTICORE plus inverter and the Brunner Smart Home Module to communicate directly. Alternatively, the KOSTAL Smart Energy Meter can also be used, e.g. if there are several inverters installed in one system.

The Brunner heat pump tracks the charging process of the batteries and, depending on the setting, only uses the surpluses that would otherwise be fed into the utility grid after charging the battery. The surplus PV yields are converted into heating energy using a Brunner BWP 4/14 green or BWP 3/13 heat pump. The battery storage cannot be unintentionally discharged by the heat pump, as the BSH control immediately detects a withdrawal from the battery and regulates the heat pump accordingly. The special thing about this setup is that the heat pump can dynamically adjust the power range, e.g. if there is surplus solar power.

Sustainable, smart combination

Summary: With the combination of inverter and heat pump, environmentally conscious homeowners increase their degree of self-sufficiency and make themselves largely independent of rising energy prices. Thanks to the smooth compatibility and user-friendly control of the system components between KOSTAL and Brunner, nothing stands in the way of stress-free heating.

About Brunner

Ulrich BRUNNER GmbH is a traditional family-run business from Lower Bavaria and is one of the most renowned manufacturers of wood-burning technology for manual stove and fireplace construction. BRUNNER wood-burning systems are the result of many years of experience, a wealth of knowledge and a multitude of skills. BRUNNER manufactures exclusively in Germany. The company employs over 150 people in development and sales alone. Since 2013, wood heating systems have also been designed and built in Eggenfelden.

About KOSTAL Solar Electric

KOSTAL Solar Electric was founded in 2006 as a separate branch of KOSTAL Industrie Elektrik. Today, KOSTAL Solar Electric is one of the leading suppliers of innovative solar, hybrid and battery inverters for domestic and commercial systems. The KOSTAL Smart Energy Meter and the KOSTAL ENECTOR wallbox round off the innovative product portfolio. With KOSTAL products and the KOSTAL Solar Portal and Solar App monitoring tools, customers have key instruments for intelligently generating, storing, controlling and using solar energy.