Solar water heating systems, or solar thermal systems, use free heat from the sun to warm domestic hot water.
A conventional boiler or immersion heater can be used to make the water hotter, or to provide hot water when solar energy is unavailable.
Solar thermal panels use heat from the sun to warm fluid passing through them, as the diagram below shows.
This is then used to heat your water, which is stored in a hot water cylinder.
We install flat plate collectors which can be fixed on the roof tiles.
Effective Home will design the best system to suit your home. Our Solar Thermal Collectors do not rely on direct sunlight or high ambient temperatures. They are designed to absorb diffused light and will even produce useful amounts of heat energy on cloudy days.
A typical system for a 3-bed house:
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The system works all year round, though you’ll need to heat the water further with a boiler or immersion heater during the winter months. Solar water heating can provide you with about a third of your hot water needs.
Sunlight is free, so once you have paid for the initial installation your hot water costs will be reduced. You could save between £60 and £100 per year on your fuel bills. Source Energy Savings Trust.
The system needs little maintenance and the cost of it is very low. It will also reduce the maintenance on your existing boiler as its operational use will be lower too.
Most solar thermal systems come with a 5 – 10 year warranty. The Effective Home system comes with a 10-year warranty.
Solar hot water is a green, renewable heating system and can reduce your carbon dioxide emissions.
When choosing a solar thermal system, you’ll need to consider four major factors:
You’ll need roughly one square metre of panel area per person in the household. Each metre of panel area will need between 30 and 60 litres of water-tank volume.
You’ll also need to select system components – such as a hot water cylinder, controls and pipe work – and choose the location for your solar panels, considering shade, pipe runs, roof pitch and future access.
A solar water-heating system involves pipe work, a thermostat and a hot water cylinder.
You can add solar thermal panels to most existing hot-water systems. However, you’ll usually need to change your existing cylinder for one with a twin coil.
It’s difficult to use a solar thermal system with a combi boiler.
This is because combi boilers heat water directly from the mains water supply and don’t have a tank; solar thermal systems supply warm, low-pressure water.
Some new combi boilers do accept pre-heated water, so check with the manufacturer.
Make the most from your solar hot-water system by following these tips:
Every home’s solar energy system is unique.
When you book a free home survey with us, our solar expert will assess your home and rooftop to determine the best panel options, we will also recommend the best solar thermal system to suit your household, all discussed with you in detail.
You can rest assured that all quotes and estimates we provide you are independently verified by EPVS (Energy Performance Verification).
All of our solar installation jobs are sent to EPVS to be verified for quality and accuracy of our pricing and quotations. You can look into this yourself at www.epvs.co.uk for further information.
Choosing your Solar PV from us means that you are protected under HIES (Home Insulation & Energy Systems Quality Assured Contractors Scheme). To become a member of HIES we have passed their strict accreditation process and will be vetted annually to ensure we meet their guidelines.
Prices start from £7,495 inclusive of VAT.
Solar hot water panels will work for most homes in the UK. The facing, pitch angle and size of your roof area will determine which solar thermal system is the best for your home, it will also contribute to how much energy you’ll capture.
Yes, a solar thermal system does work in winter. However, it will be a lot less efficient than it is over the summer. For this reason, you will likely need to rely more heavily on your boiler, immersion heater or other backup water heating system as the solar thermal installation will not be contributing the same ratio of your homes hot water.