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How much of my hot water can I get from the sun?
Posted by Gabriel Wondrausch on 13th December 2008 at 9:01 am
Have you ever wondered how much energy falls on your roof each year? Well probably not, but it is really quite interesting. The average UK house with a south facing roof of 30m² will be exposed to around 30,000KwH of the sun’s radiation every year. When you compare that to the amount of ener…
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
Energy measuring brings highs and lows
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 11th May 2009 at 11:27 am
I find energy use and carbon emissions difficult to get my head around. You can’t see them or touch them. A monthly direct debit or quarterly bill are distant from the actual use you make of gas, electricity or oil. However, I’ve found a way to make them more visible. I’ve been measuring my us…
Posted in: Energy efficiency
Solar thermal for space heating
Posted by Gabriel Wondrausch on 21st May 2009 at 10:23 am
I am often asked whether a solar thermal system can be used for space heating as well as for hot water. Technically, it can. However in most cases it is neither cost effective nor energy efficient to do so. The cost of upgrading the system to work with space heating as well as hot w…
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
Lag your pipes
Posted by Tim Pullen on 16th July 2009 at 8:18 pm
I've just been asked whether it's worth lagging hot water pipes. The questioner said: "We have quite long hot-water pipe runs in our home. We've fitted the system boiler and thermal store nearer the bathroom, but we still have to run a lot of cold water to get hot water in the kitchen 2 floors …
Posted in: Energy efficiency
How to use an air source heat pump to heat your hot water
Posted by John W Lightfoot on 20th July 2011 at 11:32 am
Q: Can you use air source heat pumps for heating domestic hot water? A: If you are reading this and looking for a quick answer, it's yes! For those of you who would like a little more information here we go... Just because you can use a heat pump, should you? Well, of cours…
Posted in: Heat pumps
Using an air source heat pump with an existing heating system: 5 key things to consider
Posted by John W Lightfoot on 15th August 2011 at 9:24 am
I’ve tried below to give an overview of whether you could consider using your existing heating system without going into too much technical hype! (Hope I’ve succeeded – let me know!). The guidance below will give you some pointers as to whether it is worth considering, but of course your l…
Posted in: Heat pumps
Auto control enables use of solar PV for immersion heater
Posted by Chris Rudge on 16th September 2011 at 10:38 am
Chris's previous article on how to use excess solar generated electricity in the home generated so much interest that he has written a follow up that goes into more detail about about the control he has built to use solar-generated electricity to heat water. One of the side issues of the Feed…
Posted in: Solar electricity, Solar heat & hot water
Solar Thermal - a guide to life expectancy and maintenance
Posted by Gabriel Wondrausch on 7th November 2011 at 4:15 am
The UK will see a huge increase in solar hot water (solar thermal) installations, with the recent announcement on the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). When you’re investing in a new technology, you want to be sure that it’s going to be reliable and not over-costly in terms of maintenance and repa…
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
Solar is not just about the feed-in tariffs
Posted by Paul Hutchens on 9th December 2011 at 9:57 am
There has been much talk and debate about solar panels recently; most of it about solar PV and the Feed-in Tariffs (FIT). However, there is another game in town and it is potentially far larger than solar PV. Space and water heating in buildings accounts for nearly 70% of the energy consumed by the…
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
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