Electric Car and Heating Film: Travel Green, Heat for Free!

A home solar system can supply electricity both for charging an electric car and for heating with heating film, so it can reduce the cost of both. In the 2022 example in this article, an average electric car uses roughly 255 kWh of electricity for 1,500 km a month, which a 3.5 kW solar system can produce on an annual average. How much of that is real saving today is decided by gross metering and the timing of charging.

Why are more and more people choosing an electric car?

Plug-in hybrid and fully electric cars are now in the range of most brands, so it is getting easier to choose a model that fits your needs. Buyers decide on them mainly for two reasons: environmental awareness and cost efficiency. They produce no exhaust emissions while driving, and their energy cost per kilometre is also lower than that of cars with internal combustion engines.

The public charging network keeps growing, yet charging at home is the most convenient: you can set off in the morning with a full battery. If you do not drive hundreds of kilometres a day, an electric car can be a good choice for everyday use.

How much electricity does the car need, and how much does solar provide?

A home charger can be connected to a solar system; there is no technical obstacle to this. Our 2022 calculation:

• the average consumption of an electric car is 17 kWh/100 km;
• at 1,500 km a month this means 255 kWh of electricity;
• a 3.5 kW solar system can produce this extra on an annual average;
• the total investment cost of such a system at 2022 prices was ~HUF 1.5 million.

The article then worked with a payback of less than 5–10 years and an average solar panel lifetime of 20–30 years. Even at the time of publication, a change to the solar regulations was on the agenda, and since then the payback has indeed been put on a different footing: since 1 January 2024, for new household systems in Hungary, the electricity fed in and the electricity bought are two separate items on the bill. The annual net balance can only be kept by systems applied for by September 2023 and commissioned by 1 January 2026, for a maximum of 10 years.

This matters especially for car charging. If the car stands at home during the day and charges while the solar panels are producing, your own electricity is used directly. If it only goes on the charger in the evening, the electricity fed into the grid during the day and the electricity bought from it in the evening are accounted for separately, which is less favourable. The basics of solar systems are covered on our solar panel page.

Infrared heating with solar panels

Solar panels are worth considering even if you do not have an electric car, because the electricity produced can also be used to keep the house warm.

How?

The intelligent heating film we supply is fully compatible with solar systems, so part of the heating's electricity demand can be covered by your own production, and heating costs can fall. The extent is limited in winter, because solar panels produce less in the heating season. The details are discussed in our article on heating film and solar panels, and winter production in our summary on the winter benefits of solar panels.

According to the article's 2022 comparison, the total installation cost of a heating film system did not exceed the investment cost of conventional heating running on fossil energy. It can also be controlled room by room, hidden under the floor covering, and the radiant heat gives pleasant, even warmth.

Request a quote

If you plan to cover both car charging and heating with solar, the sizing should start from the whole house's annual consumption and its distribution through the day. For a quote, visit this page (installation is available in Hungary), or contact us on +36 20 400 7400 or at info@futofolia.hu.

Wishing you a pleasant day: Tamás Tóth and the Intelligent Heating Film team