What the solar system was in previous years, the heat pump is in 2023. After the sale of the heat pump market leader Viessmann to the US group Carrier Global and the stop of oil heating at the largest German heating installer thermondo in favor of the heat pump, the Berlin solar unicorn Enpal can no longer stay out of business. In addition to a purchase option, a rental option should also be added later. Hundreds of heat pumps have already been installed in an initial test phase, and 4,000 more are to follow by the end of the year.
At an event on Wednesday evening, the entry into the business with heat pumps was announced by CEO Mario Kohle. Partners will be the manufacturers Bosch from Germany and Daikin from Japan, devices for sale are available from a price of 26,900 euros. The attractive thing about it in Germany is that up to 35 percent of the purchase price can be subsidized by the state. At Enpal you can see the entry is business with heat pumps as a supplement to PV systems and electricity storage in order to be able to service households completely in terms of energy and heat.
In Germany, where Enpal is active, a major upheaval is currently taking place. In response to the climate crisis and dependency on Russia in terms of oil and gas, the new Building Energy Act (GEG) stipulates that from the beginning of 2024 only heating systems that are operated with 65 percent renewable energies may be installed. As a result, oil and gas heaters may no longer be installed. The entire industry is now preparing for this and positioning itself – including Enpal.
thermondo: Largest German heating installer no longer sells oil heating
Switch to renewable heat
“The heat pump is worth it – for independence and climate protection. With our integrated ecosystem for electricity, mobility and heat, we are one step closer to our vision of building the largest renewable community in Europe,” said CEO Kohle in a press release. “We take care of all the processes and make it easier for homeowners to switch to renewable energies. This not only saves you CO2, but also money, because the combination of PV system and heat pump means that up to 30% of the energy required for heating can be obtained cheaply and independently from your own roof,” says Stephan Rink, Chief Sales Officer and Co-CEO of Enpal.
Enpal is not alone with the goal of positioning itself as a full-service provider for the energy and heating transition in the home sector. Hamburg’s arch-rival 1Komma5°, founded by Philipp Schröder, also sells heat pumps in addition to solar systems and electricity storage, which are also installed by the subsidiaries.
The founders of Lambda heat pumps on the modern form of heating