Solar Hot Water

Solar Hot Water systems are one of the simplest and most widely installed of the renewable energy systems in place today. They transfer the abundant energy from the sun into hot water in your hot water cylinder for use through your home's taps.

These Solar Hot Water panels will even produce heat in the winter, but will require being topped up to the required temperature by a secondary heating source, such as your existing boiler or immersion heater. In this way, solar hot water systems complement your existing hot water system rather than replacing it outright.

How does it work?

Solar energy is absorbed by solar hot water panels, usually mounted on the roof of a building. When exposed to sunlight the solar panels heat up to temperatures significantly above the ambient air temperature, and once they are several degrees Celsius warmer than the water in your hot water cylinder, heat will be transferred to the cylinder.

What is the difference between the two main types of solar panel?

Flat plate panels are the simpler of the two solar panel technologies, and consequently are of lower cost and efficiency. Essentially they consist of a rectangular flat sheet of metal coated with a special absorbent paint.

In contact with the back of the metal sheet are a series of pipes through which the antifreeze mixture flows, removing heat from the panel and transporting it to the hot water cylinder. This is encased in an insulated unit and glazed to the front. The flat panels look very similar to Velux windows when installed on the roof.