The economics of residential solar PV in Switzerland depend heavily on self-consumption: electricity you use directly from your panels avoids the full grid purchase price (~CHF 0.28/kWh), whereas electricity you export to the grid earns you only the feed-in tariff (~CHF 0.06–0.10/kWh). Maximising what you use from your own roof is the single most effective way to improve PV returns.
For Swiss solar installers, infrared heating panels are emerging as the ideal companion load for PV installations — and the maths behind this are surprisingly straightforward.
The Load-Matching Problem with Solar PV
Solar panels produce most of their energy in summer — typically 60–70% of annual output occurs between April and September. Winter, when heating demand peaks, is precisely when PV output is lowest. A south-facing 10 kWp system in Zürich might produce 1,000–1,500 W on a clear winter day, dropping to near zero on overcast days.
Most PV loads in a Swiss home — washing machines, dishwashers, EV chargers — operate intermittently and at high power. An 1,800 W washing machine running for 1 hour uses more electricity than a 650 W infrared panel running for 2.5 hours. The difference is timing control: infrared panels can be thermostated to run continuously during daylight hours, soaking up every watt of winter solar output.
Why 650 W Works With Solar
The SunWave Ceramica draws exactly 650 W — this is not an accident. In a typical Swiss residential building, a winter solar PV installation produces between 500 W and 1,500 W during daylight hours depending on conditions. A single panel can be matched to this range:
- On a sunny winter day (1,500 W output): one panel running plus other small loads
- On a cloudy winter day (500–650 W output): one panel running entirely on solar
- With 6–8 panels in a house: can absorb the full output of a 5–8 kWp system during winter daytime
The 650 W draw also means panels cycle on and off through a thermostat naturally, automatically load-matching to available solar output when combined with a smart energy management system or simple timer-based scheduling.
Thermal Mass Storage: The Hidden Advantage
When a solar panel charges a battery, the battery captures energy for later use. When a ceramic infrared panel heats a room, it does something similar — but through physics rather than electrochemistry.
Infrared radiation heats the building fabric: walls, floors, furniture, and ceiling. These surfaces have significant thermal mass and retain warmth for 2–4 hours after the panel switches off. Running infrared panels during peak solar hours — say 10:00–15:00 in winter — charges the building's thermal mass with solar energy, which then slowly releases heat through the evening.
A ceramic infrared panel running on noon solar electricity effectively "stores" that energy as heat in the building mass for several hours — without a battery, without losses, and without electrochemical degradation over time.
The MuKEn 2014 Compliance Angle
Swiss solar installers increasingly find that their clients are under cantonal pressure to replace end-of-life gas boilers with renewable heating systems (see our MuKEn 2014 article). An infrared heating installation powered by an on-site solar PV system is fully MuKEn-compliant: the electricity is generated from a renewable source and consumed on-site.
This creates a compelling combined proposal for solar installers: a PV system with infrared heating satisfies both the client's desire to reduce energy bills and the legal requirement to move away from fossil heating.
The Partnership Opportunity for Solar Installers
Swiss solar installers who add infrared heating to their proposals report two clear benefits:
Higher average contract value
A 5 kWp PV system costs approximately CHF 12,000–16,000 installed. Adding 6–8 infrared heating panels (contact us for installer pricing) adds meaningfully to the contract value — a 15–25% uplift for modest additional installation complexity (panels are wall-mounted with standard electrical connections).
Better client outcomes = better referrals
A client who installs solar PV and keeps a gas boiler self-consumes perhaps 30–35% of their solar output. A client who also installs infrared heating can self-consume 55–70% of their solar output in winter. The improved bill outcome leads to stronger satisfaction and better referral rates.
| Scenario | Self-consumption | Annual grid cost |
|---|---|---|
| PV only, no load change | 30–35% | Baseline |
| PV + EV charger | 40–50% | −15 to −25% |
| PV + infrared heating (6 panels) | 55–70% | −35 to −50% |
| PV + infrared + battery | 75–90% | −55 to −70% |
The table above uses indicative figures for a typical 5 kWp system in Central Switzerland. Actual results depend on system size, consumption profile, and occupancy patterns.
How to Propose the Combination
SunWave Switzerland works directly with solar installers. We provide pre-calculated panel counts and savings estimates for your clients' projects, co-branded technical documentation for client presentations, and dedicated terms for installer partnerships — contact us to discuss.
The typical proposal format: include a line item for infrared heating panels in the PV proposal, with an estimated payback period that reflects both the solar and heating savings. Most clients find the combined payback period shorter than PV alone once the avoided gas costs are included.
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