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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
Getting the best out of solar panels
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 16th December 2008 at 4:20 pm
Get a few people with solar panels together (as happened this weekend) and inevitably there's discussion about how to get the most out of your solar thermal system. This is probably because the amount of hot water generated by solar thermal systems is dependent on how we use the system (as was confi…
Posted in: Solar electricity, Solar heat & hot water
Creating the green dream
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 16th February 2009 at 9:28 am
Converting your house to low-carbon luxury doesn’t come without a lot of hard work, and vast quantities of attention to detail. Last week I wrote about what Sue Harley and Neil Tappenden achieved in turning their Devon farmhouse into a low-carbon dream home. This week I look at how they did it, an…
Posted in: Energy efficiency, Biomass, Solar heat & hot water
Is bigger better?
Posted by Barry Nutley on 11th February 2009 at 9:38 am
Renewable energy can be a little confusing. For example, explaining to some people that doubling the size of a solar thermal system isn't necessarily a good thing, but doubling the size of a solar PV system is; doubling the size of a heat pump isn't a good idea, but doubling the size of a wind turbi…
Posted in: Rainwater harvesting
Good Energy rewards renewable heat generators
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 3rd February 2009 at 10:42 am
Solar thermal panels to heat your water just got more attractive with the launch of Good Energy's renewable heat incentive, or HotROC, contract. This means that customers who generate heat or hot water from renewable sources are paid for the energy they create. This is a first step towards putting t…
Posted in: Biomass, Combined heat & power, Solar heat & hot water
Evacuated tubes: make sure you don’t get burnt
Posted by Gabriel Wondrausch on 4th February 2009 at 8:34 am
Evacuated tube collectors are the Formula One of the solar thermal world. They are more efficient than other types of collector as they are almost perfectly insulated, and heat cannot pass through a vacuum. As the tubes are cylindrical, they are always perpendicular to the sun reducing the amount of…
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
Renewable energy grants still available
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 15th January 2009 at 9:23 am
Homeowners who want to install energy generating equipment such as solar panels, wind turbines or biomass boilers will be able to apply for grants until June 2010. It is anticipated that a feed-in tariff should be in place by then, which will incentivise homeowners and communities to invest in micro…
Posted in: General
Calculators shed light on renewable choices
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 25th March 2009 at 11:16 am
Comparing costs of different renewable technologies and working out potential savings in cash and carbon has just got a whole lot easier. Encraft has developed a range of calculators that help you work out all the figures, so that you can see what's best for your house much more easily. Anyone can u…
Posted in: General, Energy efficiency, Biomass, Heat pumps, Solar electricity, Solar heat & hot water, Wind turbines
Planning for solar panels
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 6th March 2009 at 11:59 am
Living in a listed building or conservation area doesn't mean that you can't have solar panels, as Anne Robbins' experience shows. You may, however, need determination and energy, and money for an appeal, if you want to leap over all the planning hurdles. Anne lives in a conservation area in Gre…
Posted in: General, Solar heat & hot water
How to store heat in a thermal store
Posted by Gordon Traill on 30th January 2009 at 11:48 am
Only a serious biomass nerd can get excited about thermal stores. Sadly, I count myself as one of those people. First of all what is a thermal store and what does it do? Essentially it’s a large water tank (usually round) which is well insulated with a series of bosses to connect pipes to.…
Posted in: Biomass, Solar heat & hot water
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
Can I have a solar thermal system if I have a combi-boiler?
Posted by Gabriel Wondrausch on 1st July 2009 at 9:55 am
There are two ways of installing a solar thermal system with a combination boiler. In both cases you will need a new hot water cylinder. This can often be the biggest problem as in most cases where a combi-boiler is installed, there is no room for a cylinder The design of the system will depend …
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
Welsh ease planning rules for renewable energy
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 12th August 2009 at 9:40 am
Welsh planning rules for domestic renewable energy installations have been changed to make it easier for homeowners to generate their own heat and electricity. Following Scotland's lead, the Welsh Assembly has announced new regulations which mean that some microgeneration technologies will no lon…
Posted in: General, Biomass, Combined heat & power, Heat pumps, Hydro electricity, Rainwater harvesting, Solar electricity, Solar heat & hot water, Wind turbines
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
YouGen Energy Expert wins installer of the year
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 23rd November 2009 at 9:13 am
Congratulations to everyone at SunGift Solar which has won Installer of the Year in RegenSW's Green Energy Awards. Company founder Gabriel Wandrausch is one of YouGen's volunteer Energy Experts, contributing articles on solar hot water to the YouGen blog. SunGift Solar, which started as a solar t…
Posted in: General, Solar electricity, Solar heat & hot water
Renewable heat soon to join the energy revolution
Posted by Gabriel Wondrausch on 6th November 2009 at 9:13 am
Until a few months ago, solar thermal hot water heating has been the most cost effective way for people to generate their own renewable energy - for every pound invested it has usually delivered the highest units of energy. The reason for this is that solar thermal systems have always been the most…
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
What is the best solar hot water panel for a small space?
Posted by Gabriel Wondrausch on 31st July 2009 at 8:47 am
Question from YouGen user: I have a 7 year old Solartwin panel on my roof which I believe is performing poorly and is not metered. The company say that the harder water is likely to be too much for the panel and that it needs an indirect panel. Thus I feel I need to replace it. It is a landscape sha…
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
Renewable Heat Incentive is welcomed by industry
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 17th March 2010 at 10:42 am
Ambitious and far-reaching were just some of the words delegates used to welcome the Renewable Heat Incentive proposals at yesterday's consultation event organised by RegenSW. However, they said that more education about renewable heat is needed if the Renewable Heat Incentive is going to succeed in…
Posted in: General, Biomass, Heat pumps, Solar heat & hot water
Prices vary hugely between renewable energy installers
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 27th November 2009 at 11:17 am
Prices for renewable energy installations vary wildly, making buying decisions difficult for homeowners, according to Power from the People, a new study by researchers at Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute. In addition, there is little correlation between price and the generation …
Posted in: General, Biomass, Heat pumps, Rainwater harvesting, Solar electricity, Solar heat & hot water, Wind turbines
Seven steps for servicing your solar thermal system
Posted by Paul Hutchens on 19th March 2010 at 10:09 am
How to service a solar thermal system is a really common question asked by many of our customers and prospective customers. Unfortunately there isn't really a definitive answer. It depends on how technically minded you are and how much peace of mind you need. So here are some guidelines: 1. Solar…
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
Avoiding the solar cowboys
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 28th April 2010 at 10:01 am
Only one of 14 solar thermal salespeople proved worthy of recommendation in Which?'s recent investigation into solar panel companies. This is devastating news both for the industry and, more importantly, for people wanting to switch to solar hot water systems. Ten of the companies misled research…
Posted in: Heat pumps, Solar heat & hot water
Renewable heat incentive: important, but with dangers
Posted by Gabriel Wondrausch on 17th June 2010 at 1:03 pm
The uptake of renewable heat technologies has really dropped off with the renewable heat incentive (RHI) still looming, but no confirmation of the final tariffs or criteria, and the recent removal of the LCBP grants. No doubt things will pick up once the RHI details have been announced there.…
Posted in: Biomass, Heat pumps, Solar heat & hot water
How to avoid bugs in your solar hot water
Posted by Paul Hutchens on 21st June 2010 at 9:07 am
The plumbing, heating and solar industry is paranoid about legionella and bacterial infections in hot water systems. This is right and proper as the consequences of legionella infection can be fatal in vulnerable people - but it is actually very rare and I am told there are no recorded cases linked …
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
Six tips to save you from solar panel cowboys
Posted by Paul Hutchens on 28th June 2010 at 9:07 am
Solar hot water is intrinsically an ethical industry. We all want to save the planet don't we? So we need to ensure that unscrupulous companies do not thrive and give us all a bad name! When there is a chance of making a buck or two it will always attract the greedy and less scrupulous businesses…
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
Solar hot water delivered quicker and cheaper
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 20th July 2010 at 9:10 am
A system that delivers solar water heating at a lower cost, quicker installation and with no need to buy a new cylinder was one of the finalists in the 2010 Ashden Awards for sustainable energy. John Willis invented the Willis Solasyphon because he found that the cost and disruption of installing…
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
Are council planning departments making it difficult to install solar panels?
Posted by Robert Palgrave on 18th August 2010 at 9:27 am
Installing solar PV panels should be easier for home-owners since a planning appeal confirmed what is allowed under permitted development. Planning departments at some councils in England seem to want to make it difficult for householders to install photovoltaic solar panels. But as a result …
Posted in: Solar electricity, Solar heat & hot water
Solar hot water: It's the best thing I ever did
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 31st August 2010 at 9:53 am
Solar thermal panels are a no-brainer for John Wood of East Devon, as he explains in this video: …
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
Solar hot water panels: 7 things to check before you install
Posted by Gabriel Wondrausch on 1st October 2010 at 9:18 am
This video blog highlights 7 things to check before you install a solar hot water system. 1. The most important thing is to have a suitable roof for the collectors (panels). South-facing is idea, but anywhere between south east and south west is ok.&n…
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
Schools lead the way on energy efficiency
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 28th October 2010 at 3:14 pm
Electricity consumption has halved at an award-winning Devon school thanks to the energy saving measures it has introduced. Okehampton College’s good practice and leadership role was recognised as it was a finalist at the 2010 Ashden Awards. The college has replaced 3,000 fluorescent lights wit…
Posted in: General, Energy efficiency, Solar electricity, Solar heat & hot water, Wind turbines
Solar thermal and other questions: what we do and don't know about the Renewable Heat Incentive
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 4th November 2010 at 11:17 am
This is an extract from a blog by Dave Sowden, chief executive of the Micropower Council on the renewable heat incentive: We do know: DECC has secured Treasury approval for the overall spending envelope for the RHI up to and including 2014/15 – £860m in total; these funds are 20%…
Posted in: General
Planning an energy efficient renovation
Posted by Tim Pullen on 8th November 2010 at 9:35 am
Why is it that people starting renovation projects have "so much to think about it is difficult to know where to start"? I am yet to meet a self-builder undertaking a new build that makes that complaint. Maybe the answer is that renovation is not treated with the same consideration and respect a…
Posted in: Energy efficiency
Do I need a new cylinder for solar hot water?
Posted by Gabriel Wondrausch on 27th January 2011 at 3:13 pm
This video blog explains how to size a cylinder for solar thermal, and whether you need to install a new one. …
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
Grants will be available for renewable heat as interim measure
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 11th March 2011 at 10:57 am
Domestic installations of renewable heat will be eligible for a grant, while we wait for the full renewable heat incentive scheme to be introduced in October 2012. From July 2011 RHI Premium Payments will be available. These will be a one-off payment to help with installation costs - essent…
Posted in: General
Has the purpose of the feed-in tariff changed?
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 23rd March 2011 at 12:07 pm
Do you know what the purpose of the feed-in tariff is? I thought that I did. I thought that it was about lowering the country's carbon emissions, to help us meet our EU carbon emission reduction targets. But, apparently not. According to Alasdair Grainger, the DECC official speaking at yes…
Posted in: General
Windmills everywhere, but Mallorcan renewable energy potential seems untapped
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 13th April 2011 at 9:03 am
One of the first things that struck me as we arrived in Mallorca was the number of windmills everywhere. Sadly they are mostly derelict, with a few tarted up to promote restaurants or other tourist attractions. Modern wind turbines, generating electricity, are surprisingly few and far between - w…
Posted in: General
Will Renewable Heat Premium Payments kick start the domestic market?
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 11th July 2011 at 9:47 am
The government is putting up £15m for the renewable heat premium payments between September (probably) and October 2012 when the domestic version of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) is due to start. In essence they are a grant to help with the capital cost of installation; but will they kick sta…
Posted in: General
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
Renewable Heat Premium Payment rates confirmed - but are they enough to kickstart renewable heat?
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 21st July 2011 at 11:22 am
Capital grants to help with the cost of installing renewable heat technologies will be available from 1 August. Any householder in England, Scotland or Wales can apply for the £300 renewable heat premium payment for solar thermal panels. However, payments for biomass boilers (£950), air sou…
Posted in: Biomass, Heat pumps, Solar heat & hot water
DIY solar panel installation: a case study
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 25th June 2010 at 3:22 pm
Thank you to fuelexplorer for this article: I did my own solar thermal panel installation, on the slate roof of an old Victorian house, with not the most accessible roof in the world! Am I pleased with the result? Yes. Could I have designed the system better? Yes. I did quite …
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
Bicton Earth - a case study of building a renewable energy training centre
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 7th September 2011 at 9:09 am
A wide range of renewable technologies will be used in the new installer training centre and community interpretation centre at Bicton College in Devon. Old agricultural barns are being converted into a state-of-the-art centre. The heating will be set up to take first from the solar thermal panel…
Posted in: General
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
How to know if your roof is sound enough for solar panels
Posted by Chris Rudge on 19th September 2011 at 3:29 am
Q: I've built a few houses and know how important it is to have calculations for roof trusses, considering the weight and "sail" potential of PV (I'm considering a 3.99kw 21 panel Schuco system in excess of £10k). Who takes responsibility if this lot blows off or you get some structural damage? The…
Posted in: Solar electricity
Can solar panels improve the efficiency of your ground source heat pump?
Posted by John Barker-Brown on 3rd October 2011 at 5:05 am
There is a growing interest in using solar panels to deposit heat within the ground during the summer periods and then using a ground source heat pump to extract this deposited heat during the winter. These systems are commonly called inter-seasonal storage systems and can usually be classed as:- …
Posted in: Heat pumps, Solar heat & hot water
Is my solar thermal system safe while I'm away on holiday?
Posted by Gabriel Wondrausch on 10th October 2011 at 9:37 am
Q: I’m going away for two months. Is there anything I should do to my solar thermal system while the house is empty? A: It’s always important to look at the relevant part in your solar thermal user manual, but the most important advice is to leave your system turned on. It has been des…
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
User control is vital for best performing solar water heating
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 18th October 2011 at 3:23 am
The way householders use their solar thermal system is critical to getting the best results from solar water heating systems, according to new research. The Energy Saving Trust (EST) is calling on installers to give better advice to users on how to control their solar water heating: in terms of volu…
Posted in: Solar heat & hot water
Future of feed-in tariff to be announced next week
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 28th October 2011 at 6:10 am
"I haven't come here to kill the [feed-in] tariff scheme, I want to fix it, enhance it and put the whole industry on a sustainable, credible economic path to a bright and exciting future," said energy and climate change minister Greg Barker yesterday, speaking at the Solar Power UK conference in Bir…
Posted in: General
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
'World's first RHI' launch over-shadowed by FITs debacle
Posted by Stewart Boyle on 7th December 2011 at 10:08 am
The long-awaited Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) officially ‘opened for business’ on 28th November. With £864 million available for the cashback scheme to support biomass boilers, solar water heating systems, heat pumps and bio-methane projects, it should have been a day of great celebration…
Posted in: General
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
Changes to permitted development for microgeneration in the UK
Posted by Cathy Debenham on 30th November 2011 at 9:33 am
The following changes to permitted development regulations for England came into effect on 1 December 2011. The main changes are to that wind turbines and air source heat pumps have become permitted development (with significant caveats). See below for the complete wording. Click the following link …
Posted in: Heat pumps, Wind turbines
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