Solar Hot Water

"Every half an hour, the solar radiation hitting the earth could, if effectively trapped, meet the worldwide energy consumption requirements for an entire year."

The UK receives solar radiation equivalent to the output of 1,000 power stations. The sun provides most of our renewable energies, by driving wind, wave and water systems, and sustaining plant-life. Solar energy may be used more directly to provide significant quantities of domestic hot water.

An average household's yearly hot water supply requires around 3000KWh. Over 1000KWh of energy is received every year in the British Isles on each square metre of surface: that is 60% of the solar radiation found at the equator. Even on cloudy days we receive energy from indirect sunlight. The amount of solar energy reaching the roof of the average UK house would provide many times our heating and hot water needs, though summer levels are obviously higher than winter, and households' requirements vary.

More than 42,000 solar domestic water-heating systems are estimated to be in use currently in the UK.

Solar Water Heating - How it works

Solar panels known as collectors are mounted on a roof and connected to pipes containing a heating fluid mixture of water and antifreeze. When the sun heats up the solar collectors the hot fluid is pumped through the pipes to a heat exchange coil in the new solar hot water cylinder. Here the captured solar energy is transferred from the hot fluid in the coil to the household's hot water supply. The hot water in the cylinder is connected to the taps, shower, washing machine, etc in the usual way.

Solar Water Heating normally involves the installation of the following:

• A dual coiled cylinder to replace your existing hot water store
• Solar collectors mounted on the roof
• A pump and intelligent control system to optimize performance
• Additional pipe work and high temperature insulation

Depending on the condition of your existing cold and hot water systems, certain items may need to be upgraded to comply with current water and building regulations.

Solar Hot Water Grants

Thurrock Energy Partnership are currently setting up a new grant scheme to offer discounts for solar panel installations. Look out for updates on the newsboard.