COMING SOON
A domestic solar hot water system is one which absorbs the sun’s energy and transfers it to a storage cylinder. It is different from photovoltaics; solar hot water panels do not produce electricity, they heat water directly.
In the UK it will not be the sole provider of hot water; it will complement a conventional system using gas, oil, electricity or solid fuel, but it will pre-heat water so that bills are drastically reduced. During summer months the system can provide all the hot water needed by a household.
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what can I do?
Solar hot water is a very cost-effective renewable energy technology that you can install in a domestic situation in this country, with the shortest payback time. A DTI investigation into solar hot water systems in the UK from 1970-2000 found that a typical system will provide 72% of a household’s hot water over the course of a year (c. 15% in winter and 100% in summer). This is assuming that the roof is south-facing – although if it faces south-east or south-west there will only be a 5% loss of efficiency.
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