Gebwell Smart - A Smart environment for heating devices
Spot-price electricity control for Gebwell Aries heat pump
A spot-price electricity control is now available for Gebwell Aries heat pumps designed for detached houses (Aries 6, Aries 12 and Aries 12C). By using the spot-price electricity control, the heating function of the heat pump can be controlled to be on when the hourly price of electricity is lower, shifting the consumption out of the peak hours. In order to take full advantage of the feature, the customer must also have a valid spot-price electricity contract.
The Gebwell Smart service, including spot–price electricity control for Aries heat pumps, is included in the device price free of charge for two years for Gebwell Smart devices delivered after January 1st 2025. After the two-year period, you can continue the Gebwell Smart subscription as a paid service. See subscription options and prices here.
At the moment, the spot-price electricity control service is for Aries heat pumps located in Finland.
The spot-price electricity control is based on the hourly spot price of electricity
The Gebwell Smart spot-price electricity control aims to optimise the operation of a heat pump based on the hourly spot price of electricity on the power exchange. In the Nordic countries, the power exchange is run by Nord Pool. Basically, the control aims to store heat energy into the building during the hours when the price is the lowest, and then use this stored energy during the most expensive hours. The spot-price electricity control works best in buildings with a high heat storage capacity, such as homes with underfloor heating.
The spot-price electricity control adjusts the supply water setpoint
A heat pump produces heating water for the property’s heating network based on the supply water setpoint. When the supply water setpoint is higher than the supply water temperature, the logic control of the device increases the compressor speed until the supply water temperature is the same as the supply water setpoint. On the other hand, when the setpoint is set lower, the logic control of the heat pump decreases the compressor speed and can even turn off the compressor. The spot-price electricity control adjusts the heat pump supply water setpoint; in practice, the setpoint is set lower when the price of electricity is high, and set higher when the price is low. However, our spot-price electricity control aims to minimise the number of times the compressor is started and shut down.
The Gebwell Smart spot-price electricity control controls the heating function of the heat pump. It is not possible to use the Gebwell Smart spot-price electricity control service to control the heating of domestic hot water.
Benefits of the spot-price electricity control
Optimising the heat pump control based on the spot price of electricity is likely to lower your electricity bill, but we cannot guarantee that.
With the spot-price electricity control, the electricity consumption of the heat pump is controlled to the hours when the price of electricity is low and the consumption of electricity in general is at is lowest. The more people shift their electricity use to off-peak hours, the greater is the impact on the nation’s maximum consumption and this way on the price of electricity at peak hours.
The spot-price electricity control is available for Gebwell Aries ground source heat pumps. Request a quote for an Aries heat pump here »
On the monitoring page of the Gebwell Smart spot-price electricity control user interface, a graph shows the energy consumption of the heat pump heating function, outdoor temperature, heat pump control and average spot price of electricity.