Jargon Buster

Some background information on Solar Heating Systems  [top]

Solar Heating Systems contribute towards the production of domestic hot water in a heating system, working alongside a boiler or immersion heater to heat water in a cylinder.

A Solar Heating System can provide, over the course of a year, between 50% and 70% of a households hot water demands, and because the heat comes from the Sun the systems are not only cost efficient, but can also dramatically contribute towards reducing your carbon footprint.

Solar Heating Systems are based on technologies that have been developed after years of use in other countries in Europe. So efficient are the materials used today that in summer months almost 100% of the domestic hot water supply will be from solar power, and even in winter contributions of up to 30% can be expected.

Solar Heating Systems are robust and also easy to fit meaning installation and maintenance costs will be low. Additionally many manufacturers offer long warranties on there products – sometimes over 20 years – giving you reassurance that the product will last.

Many manufacturers offer training courses on the installation of their systems – check the manufacturers’ websites for details.

Solar Panels  [top]

Solar Panels, or Solar Plates or Collectors as they are sometimes known, are the flat pieces of equipment that are placed on the roof of a property.

The Solar Panels collect the heat from the Sun and use it to heat a liquid which is circulated through a coil in the Solar Cylinder. The water in the cylinder is then indirectly heated to provide the domestic hot water supply.

The technology of Solar Plate Collectors is now so efficient that they can collect both direct and diffused light, meaning they can even operate at good levels of efficiency even in our temperamental climate here in the UK.

Typically manufacturers offer a range of mounting options meaning the Solar Panels can be placed on-roof, in-roof, on a flat roof or even as wall mounted collectors.

With Solar Plates it is best to have them facing south and angled between 30 and 45 degrees. Clearly the Panels should not be positioned in areas that may experience shade during the day. East to west roofs may be best served with the panels on both sides of the roof.

The Solar Cylinder  [top]

Solar cylinders are special cylinders, differing from a normal domestic hot water cylinder in that they have a twin coil, one of which is specially suited for the Solar Heating System. Solar cylinders tend to be indirect, although some direct cylinders are available.

Of the twin coils the lower coil is typically the one heated by the fluid circulated from the Solar Panel. The second coil therefore gets its heat from the domestic boiler.

Cylinder size is dependant on the hot water demands of the property. And the bigger the cylinder the more panels are required to get the best efficiency from the system, and therefore the best savings.

What part a boiler has in the system  [top]

The boiler makes up the final part of the domestic Solar Heating System. The boiler is there to provide heat to the water in the cylinder when insufficient heat is provided by the effect of the Solar Panels.

For Solar Cylinders either conventional boilers or sealed system boilers can be used, therefore the Solar Heating System can be installed with an existing domestic hot water system.

An alternative is to use an immersion heater on the cylinder.

Diagram of a typical Solar System  [top]

The following image, from Worcester-Bosch shows the typical layout of the components of the Solar Heating System.

A typical solar heating system

Sizing up a system  [top]

House of 4 typically requires two collecting panels. The manufacturer Vaillant offer a useful guide to the recommended number of panels required in a system.

Home Information Packs (HIPs)  [top]

Because a Solar Heating System is an environmentally friendly solution to your energy needs homes featuring such systems will receive higher ratings on the Energy Performance Certificate of the Government’s Home Information Packs (HIPs).

This adds value to the property, and will increase the chance of you selling your property should you need to do so.

Installation Grants  [top]

Grants of up to £400 are available from the Government when installing certified solar heating systems. Some rules are stipulated and you should check the relevant documentation for more information.

Planning Permission  [top]

Since the 6th of April 2008, unless the building is in a conservation area or is a list building, the Government legislation now rules that you will not require planning permission to install Solar Heating Systems.

Glossary  [top]


WordDefintion
HIPsHome Information Pack: A Government run scheme that requires sellers of all homes to have information pack about a property before it can be put on the market. Installing a solar heating system gives a house a higher energy efficiency score - a section wi
Panel PackThe panel packs are the complete sets of equipment that are needed to install solar panels onto a property. They generally include the panels, the fittings, the pumps, etc, etc
Solar CylinderA solar cylinder differs from a hot water cylinder in a traditional system in that there are typically two coils that are used to heat the contents. One coil circulates heated fluid from the solar panel collector, and the second is heated in the tradition
Solar PanelA solar panel (also called plate) is a flat apparatus, filled with a heat conductive fluid, that is used to transfer the solar radiation collected from the sun on the surface of the plate to a heating system. Panels can be mounted on roof tops, flat or in
Solar PlateAn alternative name for "Solar Panel".
Solar SystemA solar system differs from a normal domestic hot water system in that there are two methods with which to heat the water in the hot water cylinder - the solar panel and the boiler. A solar system therefore requires a special solar cylinder.