If an electric resistance heater — an immersion cylinder or an instantaneous unit — currently makes your domestic hot water, a DHW heat pump is the most direct upgrade available: it delivers the same hot water for roughly a third of the electricity and connects to the same 220–240 V single-phase supply. The Solimpeks Solido Series does this as a single floor-standing unit: an air-source heat pump with an integrated enamel-coated storage tank, in 200 L and 300 L sizes.
Why does a heat pump use a third of the electricity?
A resistance element converts each kilowatt-hour of electricity into exactly one kilowatt-hour of heat — a COP of 1.0, and physics allows no more from it. A heat pump instead uses electricity to move heat from the surrounding air into the water. The Solido datasheet puts the measured figures at COP 3.42 (200 L model) and 3.53 (300 L) at an air temperature of 14/13 °C; at a colder 7/6 °C they hold 2.93 and 3.15, and at 20/15 °C they reach 3.65 and 3.75. In plain terms: the same hot water for 27–34% of the electricity a resistance heater would draw, depending on where the unit stands.
The electrical load is modest, too. In heat-pump mode the unit is rated at 900 W and 3.9 A — the compressor draws a small amount of power continuously rather than pulling kilowatts in bursts the way an immersion element does.
Which Solido model fits which household?
| | Solido 200 | Solido 300 | |---|---|---| | Water tank volume | 200 L | 300 L | | Tapping profile (EU draw pattern) | L | XL | | Energy class | A+ | A+ | | COP (air 14/13 °C) | 3.42 | 3.53 | | Heating capacity (air 7/6 °C) | 1.23 kW | 1.30 kW | | Rated hot water yield | 39 L/h | 34.4 L/h | | Dimensions (Ø × H) | 677 × 1520 mm | 677 × 1920 mm | | Net weight | 93 kg | 117 kg |
Both models carry a nominal heating capacity of 1.6 kW and run from a standard 220–240 V / 50 Hz single-phase supply.
What happens in cold weather or when demand spikes?
The heat pump section operates across ambient temperatures from −7 °C to +45 °C and heats water to 65 °C on its own. For faster recovery or higher setpoints, a built-in 2 kW auxiliary electric heater raises the maximum water temperature to 75 °C; the setting range spans 15–75 °C. With the backup heater engaged, the rated current is 3.9 + 9.3 A — still single-phase. The fan moves 450 m³/h of air through the evaporator, so the unit needs a location with free air movement.
How is the tank itself protected?
The integrated cylinder is 2.5 mm S235JR steel with an enamel-coated inner surface — enamel coating is the standard defence for potable-water tanks. Anode protection backs up the coating, 40 mm of polyurethane insulation limits standing losses, and the outer casing is powder-coated galvanized steel. The tank is rated to 6 bar operating pressure; the unit's ingress protection is IPX1. Plumbing is straightforward: G 3/4 cold inlet, hot outlet and drain connections, plus a G 1/2 condensate outlet.
Which refrigerant does the Solido use?
Current units run on R290 (propane) — a natural refrigerant — with a charge of just 150 g. The sound power level is rated at 55 dB(A).
Full specifications and downloads are on the Solido product page. All figures above are Solimpeks' nominal values under standard test conditions; actual performance varies with application conditions.
