Solar Thermal
Solar Panels for your home in Worthing
Solar Hot Water Systems for West Sussex
Solar Hot Water systems are one of the most established renewable technologies available today. You can create 40%-70% of your property's hot water during the year.
Solar Hot Water Systems or Solar Thermal Systems convert light into heat to warm domestic hot water. A conventional boiler or immersion heater is then used to make the water hotter, or to provide hot water when solar energy is unavailable.
There are two different types of solar thermal systems, the flat plate and the evacuated tube. The flat plate uses a black coated surface to absorb and contain as much of the Sun's radiation to maximize the hot water generation. The evacuated tube uses a vacuum filled glass tube to enclose each individual pipe, this reduces the heat loses making this method more efficient.
The system works all year round, though you'll need to heat the water further with a boiler or immersion heater during the winter months.
Around 6% of the total national delivered energy use in the UK is accounted for by domestic water heating.
An average late-20th century 3 bedroom semi is responsible for emitting around 4200 kg of CO2 per year. Hot water is responsible for 864 kg of that total.
Solar collectors are a well-tried and tested technology, used for many years all around the world.They are suitable for both new-build and retrofit and come in many different varieties for example flat plat and solar evacuated tubes.
Solar Thermal Diagram | Solar Panels for your home's hot water
To the left shows a diagram of how a typical Solar thermal panel works for your home installation.
A system such as this would generate 40-70% of your homes hot water.
Using a twin coil cylinder you can also have a back up feed via a boiler or immersion heater if your hot water was to run out or not reach temperature that is set by the cylinders thermostat when the solar water heating system does not reach that temperature. (The cylinder thermostat should be set at 60 degrees centigrade.)
The benefits of solar water heating
- Hot water throughout the year: the system works all year round, though you'll need to heat the water further with a boiler or immersion heater during the winter months.
- Cut your bills: sunlight is free, so once you've paid for the initial installation your hot water costs will be reduced.
- Cut your carbon footprint: solar hot water is a green, renewable heating system and can reduce your carbon dioxide emissions.