Why Should I Consider Solar?

Hefty rises in oil, gas and electricity prices over the past year means that solar power is a realistic and cost-effective option. The annual savings on electricity or gas bills is currently as good, if not better than putting any spare money into a building society. That’s without considering the cost of reducing your domestic carbon emissions by between 1 and 2 tonnes per year (economists currently value a tonne of CO2 at £20) and the increase in value that solar power adds to your property (upwards of 10%).

You also save by using your boiler less. Many people with solar thermal panels don’t need to use the boiler between May and October. That means servicing every two years instead of annually and significantly extending the life of your boiler – saving you on average another £100 per year!

History, Research and Evidence

Solar thermal is one of the oldest renewable energies alongside biomass and was developed in 1953 and refined throughout the next 30 years. If you took the annual energy from just half of all the currently installed solar thermal panels you would save almost 7 million tonnes of oil. That equates to 70 fewer oil tankers polluting the world’s oceans and 600,000 fewer tankers emitting CO2 on our road systems. Lined up bumperto- bumper this number of loads would stretch 4,400km or 2,734 miles!

Britain is currently the worst performer in the EU for using solar energy behind Malta and Luxembourg. There were 270 solar systems installed on houses in 2007 compared to 130,000 in Germany.3 In addition to this, both the UK environment agency and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) have identified solar power as the number one renewable energy priority.

Oil Heating Users

If you use oil as your main source of energy then you are likely to have experienced a rise of 500% in the last decade. Oil production in the UK peaked at 3.2 million barrels per day in 1999 and has since halved. There is a distinct possibility that oil could rise to between $200 and $300 per barrel in a few years time – combined with a physical shortage of available product. Solar thermal energy can massively reduce your dependency on oil and provide a financially consistent and reliable source of power for the future.

How Does It Work?

The process is very simple. Our solar panels are made of evacuated thermal tubes, which are more efficient and collect more heat than a standard flat plate system. The solar energy is used to heat the water in your immersion tank rather than your usual oil, electricity or gas supply. We can also install a power tank alongside your immersion heater, allowing any solar energy generated to be stored and used when required! Solar panels are simple, effective and easy to install. The best position is along a south facing aspect but all properties can gain significant results, including up to 70% of your total hot water production! Our panels require light to produce energy and will still work effectively during cloudy and overcast days.