In message , Richard Bates
writes
1.Do not do anything until you have looked at Navitron's website.
Agreed, though I don't think their tubes are Clear Skies / LCBP
approved.
2. Solar panels do not have to be high up - I know at least one geezer who
has them at ground level and another who has one on his garage.
Yes.
3. Do not believe ignoramuses who suggest that you will not get much heat -
that did apply to the old flat panel stuff, still being sold by B&Q, but the
vacuum tubes now being used on the continent are vastly superior. I recently
went to a demo and noted a cylinder water temperature of 48 c being obtained
on a relatively cloudy and cool day.
Yes, though I've seen the same with good flat plat collectors, indeed
I've seen a Zen 28S collector with snow on the bottom third of it have a
temperature at the top of 116 centigrade in 3pm milky spring afternoon
sunlight with thin cloud.
I am reliably advised that on a warm
summers day, the tube manifold can reach well over 100 c and hence so much
heat is being soaked up that one can have 3 to 4 free baths
Yes.
and still have
to dump excess heat into a loft radiator - that's how good they are.
Not quite sure that you'd need a rad. Other ways to skin that cat.
4. If you have already signed up and paid a deposit for a flat panel system
do your best to get out of it.
Agreed.
5. I will probably be putting in a Navitron system myself soon with help
from plumber brother for around £900.
What area ?
The B & Q deal for £1500 is a total
rip off and the energy savings will take at least 15 years to recover.
Agreed ! And don't even get me started on their '10 year safe working
life' wind turbines. See for example
http://www.scoraigwind.com/citywinds/index.htm
and
http://www.warwickwindtrials.org.uk/
If anybody is curious about this I can also pass on copies of a report
from CREST looking at urban wind turbines.
It seems to me that B&Q risk a backlash from their consumers if the kit
doesn't recover its costs or make up for the environmental impact of the
manufacturing process.
Cheers, J/.
--
John Beardmore