Introduction To
Solar Hot Water Heating Panels
DIY Solar Hot Water Heating Panels
The most affordable solar water heating panels.
When we started selling solar hot water heating panels, the cheapest alternative was over twice the price of
, and some were as much as three times the price! When we started selling solar hot water heating panels,
we were often asked why they were so much less than competitors, and even that we should have
increased the price. Yes, we could have made a lot more money, but it would be against our ethos
- solar water heating uk is all about selling equipment at affordable pricing. and since our introduction, many manufacturers
have dropped their prices considerably. We are still very competitive in the market, but unlike
some of our competitors, we don't have to explain why we were charging so much more only a few years
ago! solar water heating uk supplies a variety of solar panels:
For domestic hot water there are three main components
Solar panels or collectors - are fitted to your roof.
They collect heat from the sun's radiation.
There are 2 main types of collector:
Solar water heating flat plate systems - which are comprised
of an absorber plate
with a transparent cover to collect the sun's heat,
or
Solar water heating evacuated tube systems - which are comprised of a row of
glass tubes that each contain an absorber plate feeding into
a mainfold which transports the heated fluid.
A heat transfer system - uses the collected heat to heat water;
Hot water cylinder - stores the hot water that is heated during
the day and supplies it for use later
Solar water heating can be used in the home or for larger
applications, such as swimming pools. For a domestic system
you will need 3-4 square metres of southeast to southwest
facing roof receiving direct sunlight for the main part
of the day.
Flat plate collectors 2m x 1m (with standard coating or selective coating)
SFA: Integral cylinder vacuum tube solar panels (15tube - 30tube)
SFB-47: 47mm (diameter) vacuum tube panels in 10tube, 20tube and 30tube arrays (1.5m tube length)
SFB-58: 58mm (diameter) vacuum tube panels in 20tube and 30tube arrays (1.8m tube length)
SFC: 70mm (diameter) vacuum tube panels in 10tube and 20tube arrays (1.5m tube length)
SFD: Integral cylinder vacuum tube solar panels (15tube - 30tube) with thermal coil
(for mains pressure hot water)
SFG: Solar vacuum tube air-heater panel
solar panels have a variety of uses
- heating hot water for domestic hot water cylinders, commercial hot water supplies, farms, dairies,
swimming pools, or even industrial processes.
The vacuum tube technology is particularly suitable for our temperate UK climate, where they will
take full advantage of winter sun. The performance of vacuum tube panels surpases that of flat plates
in cold winter weather, overcast conditions and windy conditions. Under warm, sunny conditions,
vacuum tube panels will produce the same amount of heat per area as flat plates....but which type
of weather do we see most in the UK?
An average household (3 people) would expect to produce most of its hot water from the end of March
to the end of September from a single 20tube 47mm hot water heating solar panel, although it will depend on
water usage. Even outside this period, solar will produce a worthwhile contribution towards your hot
water requirements, resulting in significant reduction of fuel usage and carbon dioxide emission.
In fact, fitting a hot water heating solar system to your house, is probably one of the most positive ways
you can reduce your carbon footprint, without making major lifestyle changes.
For larger households (4-5people), it may be necessary to fit a larger solar hot water heating kit installation
30-40tubes
to get the same percentage of hot water requirements, but even if a smaller system is fitted, every
kWh produced will save 1 kWh of fossil fuels, and 0.5kg of CO2 emission. If you decide to fit an
undersized system now, it is easy to increase the capacity of the system at a later stage, as the
panels are modular - if you would like advice on sizing solar hot water heating panels for your requirements,
please feel free to give us a call or send an email.
Some types of renewable energy are only available to people living in suitable locations, however free
solar hot water heating is potentially available to almost every house in the UK! Every house should have one -
really! And with high efficiency, they are much more efficient and cost-effective than electric
photovoltaic solar panels. If we compare them on a like-for-like basis, the price of a
Solar hot Water Heater is around 30p/watt (compared to £6+/watt for solar photovoltaics!), and once
installed, your solar hot water heating panel will produce virtually free heat from solar power for decades to come.
What about Swimming Pools?
Swimming pools are an ideal application for solar hot water heating, as the temperature required is quite low - under 30°C.
Most installers will recommend solar hot water flat plates to keep the price down - because the amount of solar hot water panels required is much
larger than for heating domestic hot water - however, if you can buy a high efficiency evacuated tube solar panel
for the same money - you might as well enjoy solar heated pool water for a greater proportion of the year - instead
of just in July and August!
If you used solar hot water flat plates, a rule of thumb for calculating what you need is to fit the
equivalent of 50% of the pool's surface area. For solar hot water vacuum tube panels, this is reduced to 25%-35% (depending on type of pool,
level of insulation, pool covers, indoor/outdoor, above/below ground level etc)- and of course, they will carry on working
in the autumn, winter and spring.
The solar hot water panel we sell is 2.25m2 so (working on the 25% coverage figure) each panel will heat
11m2 of pool area. A 40m2 pool would only need 4 solar hot water heating panels. Compare this to the cost of heating a pool for a year!
Large pool installations can pay for themselves in under 18months!
Installation is very simple. If you have chlorine you will need to fit a stainless steel heat exchanger
(this is because chlorine causes copper to corrode). These are available from pool suppliers
(they are needed for conventional heating methods for the same reason).
If you dont have chlorine,
you can simply put the solar hot water heating panel in-line with the pool filter, so that the pump directs water through
the panel before returning it to the pool.
As the panel will NOT radiate heat on cold days, heat losses
will be confined to your pipe runs only - so you do not necessarily need a controller, although one can be fitted,
to control a 3-way solenoid valve to divert the water through the panel when the panel is hotter than the pool water.