SOLARIS FREE ENERGY

Recent research by the Energy Saving Trust found that on average people are willing to pay £3350 more for a “green” home. This is great news for people thinking about installing solar water heating. Of course, to improve a home’s green credentials we would always advise people look at energy efficiency as a first step but once you have well insulated walls, loft etc. and modern central heating controls, adding solar water heating could be an important distinguishing factor in today’s housing market.
The thought of being able to recoup some of the cost of a solar heating system when a home is eventually sold can only be a positive thing and will hopefully encourage more people to go solar.
Some people are interested in getting a payback when thinking about installing solar heating. With the recent increases in the costs of energy and now the prospect of increased resale value, this payback period is better than ever.
Read the full press release.

We have just heard that we have been approved by the UK Microgeneration Certification Scheme(MCS) and we are delighted. 
If you don’t know, the MCS is the only official installer certification scheme in the country. It is applicable to the full gamut of renewable technologies including: solar hot water, solar PV, biomass, wind and heat-pumps. The government grant, available through the Low Carbon Buildings Programme is conditional on use of MCS approved products and MCS approved installers. It is important to note that the MCS scheme is far more onerous and rigorous that previous “Clear-Skies” was, requiring installers to implement a comprehensive quality management system and submit to annual auditing which includes installation inspections. To find out more about the scheme please visit this wikipedia page.
Of course all the products we install and supply are MCS approved. To apply for a grant or just find out more, please visit the Low Carbon Buildings Programme website or give us a call on 01234 345900.

We have been asked many times whether it is a good idea to use a photo-voltaic solar panel to run the pump in a solar hot water system.

Today we have had our application to join the “Ethical Junction” approved. This means that they have vetted us an found us to be ethical in our business practices and sales approach. Why not put us to the test and get an instant quote or arrange a survey?

Thermal stores are cylinders in which hot water is delivered via a heat exchange coil mounted in the top part of the cylinder. When used with solar, there would be an additional coil mounted at the bottom of the cylinder and the solar circuit would be indirect and filled with antifreeze. The water in the cylinder itself is not at mains water pressure and would have a header tank either integral to the unit or mounted in the loft.
If you consider what happens when you draw hot water form a tap, the top DHW coil has cold water introduced to it which absorbs heat as it flows. The water surrounding the coil will necessarily cool and tend then to fall to the bottom part of the cylinder. As this occurs, the water will be stirred resulting in less stratification of the cylinder. I.E. The water in the cylinder will be of a uniform temperature.

Standard “Dual Coil” cylinder - well stratified cylinderThermal Store - reduced stratification

There some advantages to the thermal store design despite its shortcomings. One of which is that it offers mains pressure hot water without the inherent safety issues associated with un-vented cylinders and as such the requirement for specialist training and certification can be avoided. In addition it is theoretically possible for the solar input to make a contribution to space heating. This carries a huge note of caution and will be dealt with by a separate blog post. If you have any questions feel free to contact us.

Whilst each solar hot water system should be designed properly, it is helpful to have a method for estimating the size of the system components.