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Domestic solar tubes or hot water solar panels UK

Evacuated Solar Tubes . Solar Panels UK . Direct Evacuated Tubes . Water Heating Solar . Solar Tubes . Domestic Solar . Direct Solar

The latest solar tubes technology designed for the UK climate
This has done for solar, what 'Dyson' did for vacuums

"I have three teenage boys who all play football. During the summer months i was really impressed we had hot water every day never below 44'c so my boiler came on for apprx ten mins to top up but when we got really good days my temp was up to 60'c plus. The shock came when i was in credit by £250.00 on my gas bill which normally would not be the case. so yes, solar tubes do work." Mr Ibbeson, Midlands

'Direct' evacuated solar tubes can be installed to 'existing homes' or 'new build developments', with a single panel system. Two people can fit a standard system in under a day, with so few components, it halves the workload and disruption of traditional solar. DIY or ask us to install either way, you save.

Frequently asked Questions

How much will my system cost?

Please go to our quick quotes page for our latest price's >>

How long will it take you to install my system?

One day, with very little or no disruption.

How long will I be without water during installation?

Our local solar installers can normall install within a few hours.

Will you need to change my hot-water cylinder?

No, our 'unique valve' is designed to work with all vented hot water systems avoiding the need to replace your perfectly good hot water cylinder, and thus creating a 'direct' heating water solar panel system.

Hard water and limescale area's

Unlike other 'direct' evacuated solar tubes systems, you do not have to buy expensive salt based water softeners. A magnetic descaler is sufficient to keep hard water from damaging your solar kit. We do supply this, with our installations.

How much carbon will my system save?

Around half a tonne each year. This is dependant on how much hot water you use and how you heat your water at present.

Do we get enough sun in the UK to really make a difference?

Yes. Our evacuated solar tubes are designed for the UK climate; they use a thermos flask principle, which allows the inside of the solar panels to get very hot regardless of the air temperature.

How hot will the sun heat my cylinder?

A good proportion of the year your water will be heated to above 60° C.

Is there a danger that the water could get too hot?

No. The system shuts down once your cylinder temperature is at 65° and only starts up once you draw off water and the cylinder cools.

Most systems like yours don’t allow stratification in the cylinder so the top of the cylinder gets very hot but the bottom of the cylinder stays cold.

You are correct... but our 'unique valve' overcomes this problem by depositing the solar heated water close to the bottom of the cylinder so that stratification takes place and the whole of the cylinder is heated.

How do you stop your system from freezing?

When the evacuated solar tubes are cold it is completely empty. Our collector holds only a small amount of water which only flows through the manifold (the top section) of the collector; no water passes through the tubes. When the system is in operation (only when the collector is warm) the system is full but when the system is in standby (for instance during the night) the system is empty so nothing can freeze.

What makes your collector better than your competition?

We believe our evacuated solar tubes are the best available for the UK climate because, our solar tubes out performs any of competitor’s products and we can provide a copy of our independent test certificate to support our claim. Our collector is constructed from high quality materials it is easy to fit and it carries a 15-year manufacturer's guarantee.

Does my roof have to face directly south?

No anything between southeast and southwest is fine.

My roof faces east - west, can I still buy your system?

We are an ethical company and I am afraid the answer is no. Some companies will supply 'East West' systems which use two collectors and complex control systems but, the cost of these systems is disproportionately high.

Why are evacuated tubes better than flat plate solar collectors?

Our evacuated solar tube collector out performs glazed flat plate collectors. Our solar tube collectors use a vacuum in the wall of the tube to insulate the heat collection surface from the atmosphere. This is the same principle as a Thermos flask, so the inside heats up quickly even when it is cold on the outside.

Due to the curved surface and the high quality of the glass used in the production of our tubes dirt and dust do not stick so the efficiency does not reduce with age.

The materials used in the construction and the design of our collector ensure that condensation will not affect the performance or life expectancy of our solar collector technology.

Are all evacuated solar tube collectors the same?

No. It is important to realise that there are some low quality evacuated tube collectors available, imported from Asia. All evacuated tube collectors are not equal and some even have performance below that of unglazed flat plate collectors. Beware of evacuated tube collectors with reflectors as the reflectors get dirty and the performance reduces very quickly.

Questions when choosing hot water solar panels

Choosing solar panels can be daunting, especially as they will be prominant on your house for years. You don't want to be the one who chose the 'Beta Max' over the 'VHS video' in solar terms.

Is your system a 'direct' or 'indirect' type of solar panel system?

On thing is clear, you cannot get more efficient than heating the water itself 'directly'.

Can your hot water solar system use your existing plumbing set up, thus making it more enviro friendly?

Only 'direct' solar can be installed to existing plumbing, meaning less fuss and lost space.

Do you send salesmen round to my house, if so is their not a ecological contradiction there?

Many solar companies claim to send surveyors to your home, but really they are only salesmen, driving round in cars all day, not very eco friendly.

Will the solar installation of complicated heat transfer systems have a large impact on my home?

'Direct' does not need to have its antifreeze replaced by an engineer every few years, since it uses no antifreeze. Using a 'freeze tolerant' drain back system, it does away with the complications of traditional 'In Direct' solar heating systems.

Is it true that a large percentage of heat is lost using a 'non direct' heat transfer system?

This varies on the type of system, but yes percetages of heat gain is lost through heat transfer.

In the Department of Trade and Industry side by side testing, how did your system do?

Evacuated solar tubes were found to be the most efficient system on the UK market today, and 'direct' systems were found to be less problematic after installation. 'Direct' Evacuated Tubes combine the best features of both into a single high efficiency, simple solar panel technology.

What is the payback time?

Common sense must prevail here. If any company claims that payback will be quick, then they are lying to you. There is a possibility that it will add further value to your home, but on your energy bills alone, payback is not short term.

General pricing issues

Be careful here, because sadly, their are some companies in the UK, who are blatenly over charging for installed systems. As a general guide, installed hot water heating solar systems should range from about £3,500 - £5,000, depending on type of system. Paying more than these figures, should get your alarm bells ringing.

Beware of companies offering large discounts, or quick 'special offer' discounts from there original price. Common sense dictates, there original price must be vastly over priced, and most credible solar installers work within budgets, so BIG discounts, beware!!

We have heard of some solar companie's offering ways to 'earn back' money to reduce payback. These are usually companies vastly over charging in the first place. You have been warned!

A word about quality

There are some companies who are importing and selling poor quality chinese systems in the UK. Heat my Home has been approached by these companies, but we refuse sell these sub-standard systems to our customers. Heat my Home offers a 'no quibble' guarantee on quality.

Specifications

22 evacuated solar tubes
Length: 1680mm x Width: 1636mm x Height: 156mm
Aperture Area: 2.07 m2
Fluid Capacity: 550m

Buying a solar panel is giving back to our earth, because our planet, has provided so much within our lives, now that's payback...

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