"Mike" wrote in message
...



I looked at solar heating and electric panels. ... I would need to alter
the loft to take the weight of the solar panels too,

? The panel doesn't put any weight on the loft, only on the roof!

... You also need planning permission.

Not for a solar water heating panel on the roof. Ours is on the front roof
(facing south) and we didn't need it. I haven't heard of anyone, anywhere in
this country, who has needed planning permission for such a panel.

A new tank would be required in the bathroom for the hot water as a
further heating coil is required.

Don't you have a boiler?

To get one with two coils inside is more expensive.

You can do your own. I'm reading this in uk.d-i-y. If you can't do it
yourself you should have deleted the group from the cross-posting.


Considering the weather in the UK and where I live, I doubt the system
would provide even warm water apart from during 4 months of the year.

The one we use was designed and tested in Scotland. We're in Yorkshire. It
works.

Probably when I don't need it.

? You don't use hot water in warm weather?

So it wouldn't be used for most of the year anyway.

It would. The water temperature is raised even if it's not warm enough for
use at the sink. That means that not as much energy is needed to raise the
temperature to a usable one.

I might aswell save the £3000 and put it towards bills.

And use more fossil fuel.


I asked about this at the Alternative Technology Centre in Wales. They
have a number of systems on display is actual houses. They don't get
anywhere near those savings, even with 2ft of insulation on the walls. My
gas heating system was already fitted but the bills add up to
approximately £275 after changing from British Gas who doubled their
prices a few years ago,

DOUBLED???

then reduced them slightly.
If I was to pay £3000 to fit a solar heating system and it only saved me
£75 a year, you need to look at how many years I would need to save £75 in
order to pay back the £3000 initial cost. I get it to about 40 years and
probably longer owing to future increases in costs of gas and inflation.
If as I think, and the Technology Centre seemed to suggest, around £30 per
year per panel - if hot water ws normally required - is more sensible,
that would take around 100 years.

I can't believe that CAT said that but if they did they're wrong.

You can't say it will save money if you wouldn't normally be using gas
heating on hot summer days. I've never seen a solar system heating water
to an acceptable temperature on a winter day or when it's freezing,
raining or snowing outside.

The day we installed ours the outside temperature was 4C. within a few hours
the water coming from the tap was 32C. That's usable but even if it isn't it
means that the gas or electricity doesn't have to heat the tankful to that
temperature before it goes higher. The water in the tank has never gone
below 29C in all that time.

We know because there's a display thermometer and we're still keen on
looking at it :-)


I've written to the RICS asking to the see full report, where the data
came from, and how they worked their figures out. But meantime, does
anyone have any thoughts on what the agenda of this report might be,
apart from to spread lies and mis-information?


It's to make people aware what the real position is and not to fall for
wild claims and/or false advertising. By the time you add up the saving
the company will be trading under a different name.

I'm not sure about that. I discovered, after we fitted ours, that a company
only a mile away has been making a similar system for at least ten years
before that.

I would fit a solar heating system if it was a reasonable price and it
worked all year - and offered immediate noticeable savings. Sort that out
first!

It does. I know because we have one.

You can't know that it doesn't because you don't have one.

Mary