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Controlling solar thermal systems
Posted by Gabriel Wondrausch on 10th September 2009 at 9:43 am
The controllers used in solar thermal systems come in many different shapes and sizes and offer a variety of different options. The most basic controllers just have a differential control - this activates the solar pump when the temperature at the sensor on the collector is at a higher temperature t…
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
Solar PV: how to tell the difference between panel types
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 25th September 2009 at 9:50 am
Solar PV (photovoltaic) panels come in lots of different types - mostly with long and complicated names - so it's not easy to know what the difference is. Last night I went to an excellent evening organised by the Sid Valley Energy Action Group - a group of enthusiastic volunteers who promote ene…
Posted in: Solar electricity
Heat pumps: 7 top tips for installers
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 22nd September 2010 at 9:08 am
"Many heat pumps appeared to be installed incorrectly." reports the Energy Saving Trust in its recent report on field trials into 83 installations of air source and ground source heat pumps. This is disheartening news, and we thoroughly endorse its recommendation that guidance to, and training of, i…
Posted in: Heat pumps
Feed-in tariffs: make sure your installer is accredited
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 24th September 2010 at 8:53 am
Feed-in tariffs are only available if you are installing an MCS accredited product and using an MCS accredited installer. There's no margin for error on this, so it's worth checking that this is the case before going ahead with an installation. Without the feed-in tariff the return on your investmen…
Posted in: General, Solar electricity
14 things to ask your biomass boiler installer
Posted by Jon Edge on 3rd November 2010 at 9:20 am
Biomass is still pretty new to a lot of people in the UK. However, it is a tried and tested technology, used successfully for many years in other countries. Biomass boilers are a modern and very low carbon alternative to fossil fuels, especially oil or LPG and will give you as much heat and hot wat…
Posted in: Biomass
10 tips for avoiding the solar thermal cowboys
Posted by Gabriel Wondrausch on 10th December 2010 at 1:04 pm
If you're thinking of some solar thermal panels for Christmas, here's our video of 10 top tips to help you find a good installer (with a transcript for those who prefer to read): 1. Make sure that the installer looks at the condition of your roof on the ins…
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
New installer training centre planned for Devon
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 13th December 2010 at 10:24 am
Renewable energy installers of the future are going to have a great place to learn at a new development at Bicton College in East Devon. A couple of weeks ago, I had a tour of the site of Bicton EaRTH (Environmental and Renewable Technologies Hub) site and was impressed by the detail t…
Posted in: General
10 tips for choosing a good solar PV installer
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 2nd June 2010 at 2:43 pm
Choosing an installer is always a tricky business, so I asked Stuart Houghton, of Abacus Renewable Energy, who installed our photovoltaic solar panels, what his top tips are. Watch the video, or read on, to find out: 1. Find out ho…
Posted in: Solar electricity
Planning permission and building regulations: the rules for solar installations explained
Posted by David Hunt on 14th June 2011 at 9:50 am
Councils asking for planning permission, or building regulations applications for solar panel installations has been much in the press of late. Indeed much of that press has been linked to the campaign by YouGen and ourselves. The campaign has been picked up and supported by shadow climate change…
Posted in: General, Solar electricity
Solar PV companies use dodgy sales tactics and give poor advice, says Which?
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 24th June 2011 at 10:29 am
Which? is calling for the MCS certification scheme and the REAL consumer code for solar PV installers to be improved and better enforced to stop companies using hard sales tactics and giving bad advice. In a recent investigation, the consumer champion asked 12 certified companies to survey a hous…
Posted in: Solar electricity
Does MCS certification deliver the protection consumers expect?
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 22nd August 2011 at 9:54 am
What do you think of when you hear that a company has received its sector's accreditation? Call me naive, but I'd assumed that it meant that there was a thorough check on its ability to do the job it is there to do. That it means I'll get a high quality service. That the staff are trained to a certa…
Posted in: General
Feed-in tariff: your questions answered
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 8th February 2010 at 12:02 pm
Read the updated version of this article here. The introduction of the feed-in tariff (known as Clean Energy Cashback scheme) opens a new and exciting era for microgeneration. Here we answer some of the most common questions on the new scheme. If you've got any more, please add a comment bel…
Posted in: General, Hydro electricity, Solar electricity, Wind turbines
Campaign to root out cowboy solar installers launched today
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 3rd March 2012 at 1:03 am
A campaign is launched today to help people to avoid “unscrupulous” installers of solar panels and other renewable technologies seeking to cash in on confusion surrounding the Government’s feed-in-tariff and other incentives. We have developed the campaign as a result of stories we've heard…
Posted in: General, Solar electricity
Find the best renewable energy installers: 11 points to check before you invest
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 3rd March 2012 at 1:03 am
1. If you want to benefit from the feed-in tariff or the renewable heat incentive (the Government’s financial incentives for renewable energy), you must ensure that both the installer you use, and the product they are installing are accredited under the Microgeneration Certificat…
Posted in: General
Just two weeks for owners of energy-guzzling buildings to claim the top rate of feed-in tariff
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 16th March 2012 at 3:28 pm
Solar PV installations will only be eligible for the full feed-in tariff from 1 April if the building they are mounted on, or wired to, have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of at least band D. This leaves a brief window of opportunity for the owners of old, drafty buildings to get in before …
Posted in: Solar electricity
Prices of solar PV and other renewable energy vary significantly: always get three quotes
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 16th April 2012 at 9:32 am
Getting three quotes was dinned into me in my first job. It was more than good practice - it was compulsory. Even though I was generally getting quotes from among the same pool of printers, I couldn't necessarily tell which would come in best on a particular job. It made sense, so it's something …
Posted in: General
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