What is..... solar water heating?
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A solar water heating system is made up of roof panels that have a liquid inside which circulates around the panel and gets heated up by the sun.
The heat that is soaked up then gets transferred through pipes to your hot water cylinder.
The heat that is stored in your hot water cylinder gets topped up by your immersion heater or boiler to the temperature that is set on your hot water cylinder. A correctly sized solar water system can provide up to a third of your annual hot water needs.
There are two different types types of solar panels which are suitable for heating domestic water:
- Flat plate collectors - These are flat and have a dark surface. This plate contains metal tubing - often made of copper or aluminium - full of liquid. the liquid inside the tubing circulates around the panel and absorbs the heat from the sun.
- Evacuated tube collectors - This type of solar panel is made up of parallel glass tubes which are partly insulated by a vacuum. Evacuated tube collectors are more advanced than flat plate collectors and tend to be more effective throughout the year, they are however, more expensive.
Solar water heating systems can be installed alongside some existing water heating systems, but there is a possibility that you may need to have your hot water cylinder replaced or have one put in if, for example, you have a combi boiler and don't have one already.
More detailed information on panel types, costs, planning restrictions and other aspects of solar panels is available from the Energy Saving Trust.
The Local Carbon Buildings Programme is no longer available as of 24 May 2010. If you have already applied to the Low Carbon Buildings Programme and are in receipt of a grant offer letter then your application will be honoured. If you applied before the programme closed then your application will still be processed and if your it passes the due diligence test then it will also be honoured.
Government hopes to introduce a Renewable Heat Incentive in April 2011 which could mean you are paid for the heat you produce.
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