Abstract This study investigates the potential of model predictive heat pump control in detached houses in terms of electric energy consumption, thermal comfort and photovoltaic energy self-consumption. Two comparable test rigs with identical devices are set up. The test rigs include electrical air source heat pumps with variable compressor speed, thermal energy storages and heat dissipation by heat exchangers. The heat demand is controlled by valves, which are coupled to real-time simulation of building models in compliance with the principle of energy conservation. Measurements confirm test rig comparability. After introducing the model predictive control (MPC) concept, a successive series of six measurements of 120 h each within the heating season is presented. The model predictive heat pump controller is evaluated by comparison to a standard heat pump controller implemented into the reference test rig. Results show an average increase of the heat pump coefficient of performance of 22.2%, an average increase of 234.8% in terms of photovoltaic energy self-consumption as well as a resulting average heat pump operational cost reduction of 34.0% by application of MPC.