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Affordable use of the sun's energy
At last, solar hot water heating at affordable prices.
Evacuated tube technology for optimum performance.
Thin profile flat plate solar panels.
Complete solar water heating systems for easy installation.
.COMPLETE SOLAR KITS
Everything you need to install a solar hot water heating system in one simple and affordable kit.
SOLAR ACCESSORIES
Solar controllers. Expansion Vessels. Insulation. Pumps....We provide a wide range of solar ancillaries to complete your installation.
EVACUATED TUBE SOLAR COLLECTOR
Revolutionary energy saving technology. Meets with all demands for solar hot water. Cost effective and highly efficient for the UK climate.
FLAT PLATE SOLAR COLLECTOR
The classic slim flat plate panel. A simple solution to a household's basic hot water requirements.
HOW DIFFERENT TYPES OF PANELS WORK
EVACUATED TUBE PANELS
Evacuated tube panels have been designed to capture light energy from the sun and convert it to heat, this is why they will work even on overcast days. The construction of the tube is alot like a thermos flask. Two glass tubes are sealed with a vacuum between them. The inside of the inner tube is treated with a heat absorbing coating. Light passes though the glass and is converted to heat when it meets the coating. The heat cannot then pass back through the vacuum, so the inside of the tube gets hotter and hotter.
The panels have a sealed copper file which runs down the middle of the glass tube. This file contains a liquid which is boiled by the heat inside the tube. The boiled liquid condenses in a bulb at the top and therefore releases it's heat. The bulb can reach incredible temperatures, well over 220 degrees centigrade and hot enough to melt solder!
FLAT PLATE PANELS
Flat plate panels are a far simpler technology, but are still very popular where aesthetics are the driving factor rather than heating efficiency.
The flat plate has an extruded frame (usually aluminium) which surrounds a black heat absorbing box, closed at the front by a special glass which promotes heat absorption, but minimises heat loss. Beneath the glass is a network of thin pipes which are attached to a heat absorbing film. Water is pumped through the pipes and is heated as it passes through the panel.
Although the technology is primitive, on a warm sunny day flat plates will perform well and can even produce more heat than an evacuated tube panel. On such days however, both systems will be producing far more heat than you could ever need; in all other conditions which are more typical of the UK climate, good evacuated tube panels will out-perform by a significant margin.
The main advantage that flat plates do have over evacuated tubes is on listed buildings where planning permission may be difficult to obtain.
MYTHS ABOUT SOLAR
1. Solar hot water heating does not significantly reduce your fuel bills or the use of energy.
It does. A correctly sized solar water heating system will provide roughly half your annual demand for hot water.
You should enjoy your first free hot bath around late March each year.
2. Solar hot water heating will run my central heating.
Sadly not. On a pleasant day in winter solar water heating will still help to heat your water, but there is just not sufficient energy in the sun to heat your house throughout the year. You could during the summer months, but this is the time you do not use your central heating.
3. Flat plates and evacuated tube panels provide the same heat.
On a bright sunny day, a flat plate and an evacuated tube panel will produce a similar amount of hot water, but on more overcast days which make up 90% of the UK climate, an evacuated tube panel will provide far more heat and will greatly extend the effective water heating season.
4. All evacuated tube panels are the same and they come from the same factory.
This is absolutely not true. Although many panels look similar, our panels are all made in a dedicated factory in the UK and have many unique features.
5. I will never get my investment back.
The question should really be "what is the payback on buying a new boiler or a new car?", but the payback on a solar water heating system totally depends on what you have paid and what is installed. If you're thinking of paying £7000 for a flat plate system, it is highly unlikely you will recoup your investment. An evacuated tube system installed at a reasonable price should quickly pay for itself. Click on the link below to compare.
Using high efficiency, low cost solar collectors you can reduce your heating bills and benefit from your domestic hot water being heated by the sun.
We recommend the use of evacuated tube technology which has proven benefits in the cooler months.
We supply complete solar kits, and we can arrange full installation by an approved solar installer.
We can supply all sizes of hot water cylinders (vented or unvented).
Solar water heating systems can be purchased in a complete kit or as individual components.
We can organise the installation for any project.
Any solar kit can be purchased with or without the appropriately sized cylinder.
Do you have a combination boiler?
Not a problem, with the new Combi Solar Divert Valve you can run solar hot water along side your combi boiler.
Example 1
Water is heated by solar and delivered direct to taps via mix with cold to a safe temperature.*
Example 2
Water from the cylinder which is only warm (or cold) diverts to the combi is the heated and the delivered to taps.*
*The Combi Solar Divert Valve can ONLY be used with a combi that has a pre heat function.
To book a solar survey/quote on your property either give us a call or fill out the form below.
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WARNING:OUR PLANET MAYBE AT RISK
IF WE DO NOT USE ALTERNATIVES
TO FOSSIL FUELS!