Solar Energy - How will it save me money?
Solar energy works by converting the energy from the sun into useable heat for heating stored water, this is done not just by direct sunlight but also works with standard daylight. Obviously the optimum time of year for solar panels to work in the UK is in the summer months however the solar panels will generate heated / pre heated water all year round.
Solar yield in the UK is variant dependent on where you live, the closer to the south the greater the solar energy per 1m2 of surface area, the map to the left will give an indication of solar yield capabilities in the UK.
There are two types of solar water heating technologies, the evacuated / vacuum tubes and the flat plate collector. The evacuated / vacuum tubes have a greater efficiency and work better at lower temperatures. Some people believe the flat plate is more pleasing to the eye, however, they can cost more to install than the vacuum tube.
On average solar water heating can save you between 70-80% on your water heating bills, not only that but it will prolong the life of your boiler as it does not need to be activated to heat water as often as it would without solar water heating.
The way the solar water heating works is by capturing the suns rays which is then converted to heat energy, this heat energy is transported through a heat exchanger that will then transfer the heat into the stored water within the solar cylinder.
Solar water heating heats / preheats the bottom of the Solar cylinder ready for the boiler at the top to heat to 60 Degrees C, if the solar panels have heated the water above 60 degrees the boiler will not activate saving you money.
In the summer time it is possible to heat all your domestic hot water with solar panels, in the winter it will pre heat the water ready for your backup heater to heat the water from a higher temperature saving you energy.
Related Pages
Solar water Heating Kits
Details of solar water heating kits supplied by Allbrite UK Ltd, solar water heating kits can be mostly installed as a DIY project however a qualified electrician may be required to provide an electrical feed (when installing an unvented system a suitably qualified plumber will be required to sign the installation off as correctly installed).
Solar water heating installation Guide
A solar water heating installation guide for those who wish to install the solar water heating system themselves of information for the tradesperson who may need some basic installation instruction for solar water heating systems.