Which technology is for me?
All the technologies we offer have been selected to offer a practical way of reducing a buildings energy costs and reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Indeed all technologies offered are complimentary so can be used together, so you don't have to choose, if you have an adequate budget.
PV - Very popular choice because of the amazing Feed in Tariff payments and very low maintenance.
Solar thermal - Simple, affordable and effective way to heat hot water. Less capital intensive and more cost effective than PV and now also benefitting from paymemts under the Renewable heat Incentive, including a Premium Payment grant and ongoing payments per kWh of heat generated.
Heat pump - A great low carbon alternative form of space heating, especially if you're off the gas grid. Also benefits from RHI.
Stoves - Wood burning or multifuel stoves, with Clean Burn options for use in towns and cities.
Shower heat recovery - If you have a shower this is a low cost way to reclaim the heat going down the plug hole.
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Can I heat my swimming pool?
This is an ideal application for solar systems [especially for outside pools] because they tend to be used more during sunny weather. The low temperature required by a swimming pool means that the efficiency of the system is much higher. Please get in touch for further info or a quote.
Do I need planning permission?
As long as you don't live in a conservation area or a listed building then you do not require planning permission to install solar thermal panels on your roof. If you live in a conservation area you are allowed to install panels on roofs that do not face the road without planning permission. If you do live in a listed building or in conservation area and want to install panels facing the road then you will need to contact the local planning department. If the planning department do have objections there are various possible options. You can sometimes mount panels on walls, nearby buildings or frames in the garden for example. Also we can make photoshop mock-ups of how the building will look with the panels in various locations, which can sometimes be helpful with planning applications.
Can I install the system myself?
Absolutely. Some systems are easier than others however. We tend to recommend the a drain back system for DIY as it is designed to minimise specialist skills and tools. However we can supply other kits if required. Please call for advice or have a look at the kits available in our SHOP.
How long does payback take?
Everyone always asks, "how much will a solar system save and how long will it be before I recoup the costs?" The difficulty in answering is because it is a complex calculation which is different in each case. The more hot water you use, for example with more people in the house, the more you will save by having a solar system. Also if you use more hot water in sunny weather the more you will save, because that’s when free hot water is available. The other factor is the cost of your existing fuel, which may range from an efficient condensing gas boiler to an electric immersion heater. Each case is different but we would suggest carrying out cost effective measures such as loft insulation and cavity wall insulation before considering purchasing a solar system. However a solar system is probably more cost effective than double glazing your home and is one of the vary few measures you can do in your home which actually contributes energy rather than merely reduce the amount used. If you do decide to get a solar system the most cost effective one is that which is efficient and at the lowest cost which is why we have done as much as possible at 1World Solar to bring you a high quality low cost solar system.
Can I run the system with a PV panel?
We can supply PV powered solar systems if required. Please call 0117 941 1663 or e-mail
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Do I have to replace my hot water cylinder?
To get the most from your solar system you need an appropriately sized hot water cylinder to store as much of the energy your solar panels collect as possible. This can be achieved by adding an additional pre-heat cylinder which stores just the solar heated water. This cylinder then feeds your existing tank. In practice it is often cheaper and less disruptive just to replace the existing cylinder with a larger solar twin coil model. Please see our cylinders page to see the wide range we have available.
There are a number of alternatives such as the SolaPlug which is a possible solution if the cylinder cannot be changed. However, in most cases, we feel that if you are going to make the investment in a solar thermal system its best not to let its performance down by compromising on the cylinder.
How do I preheat a Combi Boiler?
Although it is possible to use combination boilers with solar energy, it is important to note that for compatiability the combination boiler must be able to accept preheated water.
A cylinder must also be installed to store any solar heated water that will be
generated.
Most existing combi boilers are not solar compatiable. If your boiler isn't, we are able to offer you a few solutions.
We are not able to confirm the suitability of any particular combi boiler, for legal reasons.
So we recommend that you contact the supplier to ask whether their combi boiler
can accept preheated water.
If your existing combi isn't compatiable..
- We can modify the boiler. The modification disables the instantaneous hot water feature. The boiler then operates as a conventional boiler, heating water in a storage cylinder.
- The combi boiler can be replaced with a new combi boiler that is compatible with pre-heated water.
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Solar Combination Boilers
- The most common type has a small store of hot water, which is thermsotatically controlled. A thermal store is
required to accompany these boilers, so that the preheated water will be at high pressure.
This is normally only cost effective if a new boiler is required.
Safety note:
- Many combi boilers which accept preheated water have a minimum burning capacity (~30%), which
means that the preheated water should not exceed 55oC to prevent dangerously high outlet temperatures. So we strongly recommend that a mixing valve be installed on the outlet of the thermal store.
- We also recommend that a scale inhibitor be installed on the inlet to the thermal store.
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Modify existing combination boiler
- The instantaneous hot water function of the combi boiler will be disconnected and be used as a standard boiler.
Solar heated water will be stored in a new twin coil solar hot water cylinder. This is not particularly complex, but requires some re-plumbing and wiring.
- A 3-port, mid position valve is required, with new 'Y' plan controls, to provide independent hot water and central heating control.
- A new unvented cylinder will usually be supplied, to provide mains pressure solar pre-heated water to the taps and showers at high flow rate and pressure.
- A vented cylinder could be used, but this requires a cold water tank in the loft and will not supply high pressure water, unless a booster pump is installed.
- Pipe of adequate diameter (22mm or greater) is required to tap into an appropriate point (large diameter, not 15mm) on the hot water circuit to provide a good supply of preheated water to the taps.
- Some boilers have safety features that expect a certain temperature and pressure. So we recommend that one outlet is left on the domestic hot water (DHW) outlet from the combi boiler. This can be in the form of a service tap on the DHW outlet of the combi. Any potential invalidation of the combis guarantee due to the changes will be avoided with this method.
- 'Y' plan controls feature a room thermostat, a cylinder thermostat and a 3-port mid position valve. The pump is usually internal to the boiler.
- The boiler will only provide heat to the cylinder if the programmers hot water channel is calling for heat, and the cylinder thermostat is below the set point.
- Boiler heat is provided to radiators only when the programmers heating channel is calling for heat and the
room thermostat temperature is below the set point.
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Are evacuated tubes more efficient than flat plate collectors?
No, that's a popular misconception. In fact, based on the area of roof taken up many flat plate collectors are up to 10% more efficient than the evacuated tubes. This is because evacuated tubes have a small proportion of absorber area, compared to gross area. However efficiency is not the only criteria and so the best way to compare performance is therefore to calculate the useful energy produced by means of an energy model such as the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP). Contact us and we can provide more specific details and the SAP figures for different solar collectors.
Can I heat my house with solar?
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Combined Solar Hot Water & Space Heating
A system combining solar water and space heating is designed to be larger than a standard domestic solar water heating system, to ensure provision of the extra energy demand of the space heating.
Solar energy can be used to meet some space heating demand in the spring & autumn, as shown in the graph. There is no demand for spaceheating in the summer, so the extra energy generated by the combined system is supplied to the hot water system.
Most suitable for connection to low temperature heating systems, such as underfloor heating.The payback of the combined solar & space heating system is not as good as a standard hot water system, as some collected solar energy cannot be used due to over capacity in the summer
Solar performance
On average a combined solar water & space
heating will meet 60-80% of the annual hot
water demand and around 10% of heating
demand in a new house. These figures are highly
dependent on the energy losses of the property
and the heat emitting system being used.
Design Rules of Thumb
Minimum collector area: at least 4 times
the size as needed for hot water only.
Typical area: 10-15m2
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