The Anzi family charges their two electric cars with a Fronius Wattpilot, uses a Fronius Ohmpilot to heat water in their water storage tank, and runs their entire household on solar energy around the clock – during the day from the PV system with the Fronius Symo and Fronius GEN24 Plus inverters, and at night from the BYD battery storage system.
» We decided in favor of Fronius because we get all the components here from a single source. With the comprehensive package for electricity, heating and mobility, we can cover all the bases. «
Ralf Anzi, system owner
In addition to our innovative products and solutions, the Anzi family was especially impressed by the expert advice and implementation provided by our reliable Fronius System Partners. Ralf Anzi is also enthusiastic about the integrated monitoring that comes as a standard feature: “Everything is displayed graphically in the Fronius Solar.web app, and it notifies me in case there’s a fault so I can respond quickly.”
True to our motto, Ralf and Antje Anzi and their son Fabio energize their lives with sun every day. Read all about how they do that here:
Thanks to the holistic planning process with their Fronius System Partner, the Anzi family was able to dimension both their PV system with a 23.7 kWp output and the connected BYD battery storage system with a capacity of 22 kWh, enabling them to produce their own electricity for their entire household. In addition to powering the usual household appliances such as the TV, refrigerator, washing machine and dryer, surplus PV power is also the main source of energy for large loads like the underfloor heating throughout the house, the pool and even the air-source heat pump. The Anzi family uses its household electric appliances at times when solar power is being generated and also pays close attention to energy efficiency ratings, including those for lighting fixtures. This enables the environmentally conscious family to save both resources and considerable costs: “We generate the electricity we need for the house and even for the electric cars ourselves, or we feed the generated electricity into the grid. Since March – which means for a good six months – we have not had to purchase any external electricity,” Ralf Anzi explains proudly.
Combining both the Fronius Symo and Fronius GEN24 Plus inverters with battery storage guarantees maximum output and total independence. The Anzi family has connected both inverters onto one PV system. By connecting a battery storage unit to a Fronius GEN24 Plus hybrid inverter, the household will be supplied with energy even if the grid power fails. The Anzi family can therefore continue supplying their home with electricity independently of the public power grid.
» Another advantage of the Fronius GEN24 Plus is its emergency power feature. We can continue using our power from the roof if there’s a grid outage. We’ve achieved additional independence here. «
Antje and Ralf Anzi are on the road every day with their two electric cars. Their decision to go with electric mobility was the obvious choice not only because they had their own PV system, but also due to cost considerations, as Ralf Anzi briefly broke down for us: “If you assume an average of 20,000 kilometers driven per year, our fuel costs last year would have been about EUR 5,000. With electric mobility, we currently pay only about EUR 350 for the same number of kilometers, and we are also doing our part to reduce carbon emissions.”
The couple now uses their Fronius Wattpilot to charge their electric cars most cost-effectively with their own solar power and using the available charging modes as needed – primarily with surplus PV power in Eco mode and, if the cars need to be fully charged by a certain time for business trips, by drawing from the power grid in Next Trip mode.
» Another advantage with our Wattpilot is that the switch from single-phase to three-phase happens automatically. Wattpilot automatically adjusts charging power depending on how much surplus PV power is available. Once the car is plugged in, you don't have to worry about anything. That makes it easy for us. «
In addition to the air-source heat pump that heats the underfloor heating throughout the house, the Anzi family opted for a Fronius Ohmpilot that uses PV electricity to continuously heat the water in their 300-liter water storage tank during the day. The family can take warm showers and baths with this water in the evening without having to access energy from the electricity storage system. As with Fronius Wattpilot, Ralf and Antje Anzi also really appreciate the automatic features of our heating solution: “The advantage with the Fronius Ohmpilot is that it regulates the output automatically – from 0 to 9 kW. You don't have to set anything manually here – everything is managed in the background. I set a target temperature and it maintains that during the day.”
The practical legionella feature heats the water to over 60 degrees at certain intervals to kill any bacteria or germs in the water. Fronius Ohmpilot then continues heating at the specified setpoint temperature.
To be able to use their self-generated solar power at night as well, the Anzi family opted for our Fronius GEN24 Plus hybrid inverter and BYD battery storage system. Combining these two products creates an unbeatable energy package and one of the most efficient systems on the market, as repeatedly confirmed in power storage inspections by the HTW Berlin University of Applied Sciences. As a result, the family can use their solar energy around the clock and also continue to effectively save on electricity costs. The best thing about it is that the BYD electricity storage system can be constructed using individual modules of 2.76 kWh each and therefore can be precisely adapted to the calculated individual electricity requirements. The Anzi family currently has battery storage with 8 modules and a total of about 22 kWh. If the family’s energy needs continue to increase over time, the battery storage can simply grow with them – a key argument for the Anzi family.
Antje and Ralf Anzi use our free Fronius Solar.web monitoring tool to conveniently check how much electricity is currently being generated or fed into the grid and how much is being consumed in the household. In combination with the Fronius Smart Meter, the tool clearly displays important loads and energy flows in the household. “We’ve found that to be a great feature because we always have a good overview.” And you can also take countermeasures, for example, if the house is simply using too much at the moment,” Ralf Anzi says. Based on current weather forecasts, the tool even generates predictions for expected energy production in the coming hours and days. The monthly and annual summaries provide Ralf Anzi with a practical basis for long-term monitoring of his plant.
System output | 23.7 kWp |
Fronius components | Symo GEN24 8.0 Plus, Symo 15.5, Ohmpilot, Wattpilot |
Battery storage | BYD Battery Box Premium HVM 22 kWh |
Annual yield | About 19,000 kWh |
Degree of self-sufficiency | Almost 100% in the summer months |