Solar Heating blog
How we're coping with our new solar heating system.
I've decided to stop the blog here, and leave it as a record for the future. Suffice to say it continues to save us money, which is always a good thing. As I said below, you want these things to be reliably boring, so not really a lot to report!
May 2008
Collectors getting up to 80°C every so often, and the collectors are getting hot earlier, as you would expect. New washing machine needs less powder, and less tumble drying time, so done well there.
April
Good record of sunshine- I believe we've had solar heat on most days. Collectors getting to 75°C on occasion. Had a hiatus getting a new washing machine, (RIP Servis M9090, 1989-2008) as most are cold fill only these days, and we need hot and cold fill if we're to take advantage of the solar power. Yes, I did read this discussion about the merits of hot fill washing machines. And I have insulated the hot water pipes below loft level to minimise heat losses.
March
Caught the solar cutting in at 8:45am, despite it being -0.5°C outside. We've had the sunniest February since records began in 1929, so good news for us. It does mean that I don't mind getting the laundry done during the day, as most of the hot water's free!
February
Leak fixed the day after I reported it, so can't complain. System working well on sunny days, of which we're having quite a few. The system gets hot enough to contribute by about 10am. Actually it's good that there's nothing much new to report, you want these systems to be boring and reliable, then everyone will want one!
January 2008
Just discovered a very small leak in the boiler pipes (which can't have been there last month), but am giving it a little time to sort itself out (hard water sometimes plugs its own leaks) before I call in the plumber. Panels still get up to about 60°C on bright days, though much above that and the pump kicks in, heating the tank, and therefore cooling the panels.
December
Timer issues sorted out, and CORGI gave our installation (and therefore the company) a clean bill of health. Mixer valve tweaked so we get hotter water. Caught the collectors at 65°C on a sunny afternoon after we'd been out, so even in December we're getting some benefit. But not a lot gets through on gloomy days. Gas company owes us big time!
November
Gas heating and hot water on for a lot of the time. I tend to manually click it off during the middle of the day, especially if it's sunny (the collector still gets up to a respectable 60°C) to save gas. Suspect the timer's a bit faulty, as it should do this automatically. However, the company are coming over to have a look (with the CORGI inspector). More after they visit...
October
We finally start having to use the gas heating on cold days. Causes some problems if the heating is put on from cold when someone is in the shower, as the thermal store fills with cold radiator water faster than the heater can warm it. So the lesson is put the heating on some time before you need the hot water in the morning. Gas supplier says we're now in credit, and reduces our monthly payments.
September
Starting to get benefits, mainly on the hot water side, as we rarely need the gas boiler, and it's not cold enough for the heating.
August 2007
The system is finally installed, after nearly a fortnight of work.
The systems- old and new
We had an old Baxi bermuda gas back boiler, which did not seem to be coping with both heating and hot water, and generated lots of tooth sucking from service engineers. It was probably not particularly efficient by today's standards. One of our radiators had a valve on backwards, which meant lots of noise when the heating was on. One room used a gas fire to heat it (front room), and another bedroom had no central heating at all.
The new system has, in addition to two 20-tube solar panels, a modern combi gas boiler, and an insulated thermal store. We also now have radiators in the front room and bedroom. The panels and boiler work in parallel, so, if there is enough sun for the panels to warm up, it heats the water in the store. If that's not enough, then the gas can raise the temperature further, but has less work to do. It's also more efficient than the old back boiler. In the picture, the solar controller and pump is on the left (black, with white pressure vessel), thermal store in the middle (lovely mucus green insulation!) and the new boiler on the right.
The system was installed by SolarHome, tel: 0800 848 8650. Please mention us when calling, as we get a commission. No, I didn't design their website.
