The German company Sonntag-Gebäudetechnik decided to add fuel cell micro-cogeneration to its portfolio of home energy appliances. The company started four generations ago as a blacksmith and switched to installing electric, sanitary and heating appliances over its course. It sees great potential in cogeneration units for residential use and eyes currently fuel cells which use hydrogen to simultanously generate heat and electricity in houses and small enterprises.
Together with COGEN Europe member SenerTec, Henry Sonntag from Sonntag-Gebäudetechnik installed its first fuel cell micro-cogeneration unit in 2017. The unit has an electrical output of 0.7 kW and produces approximately 5,500 kWh of electricity per year, about the annual electricity consumption of a family. Apart from producing electricity, the unit provides its owners with the heat they need for space heating and sanitary water. The unit corresponds to the energy efficiency class A++ and upgrades every house to a modern efficient building, reducing people’s energy bills and carbon footprint. Henry Sonntag is very pleased with the easiness you can install a fuel cell micro-cogeneration unit: “After the realisation of the first unit, we learned that the installation process is comparable to known heating systems due to very good pre-configuration”.