On Tue, 08 Jan 2008 22:28:39 +0000 Peter Parry wrote :
Oh dear, there we go again with the propaganda. The only thing I'm
anti is the dishonesty of the greenwashers.

A single solar panel collects about 1MWh of energy per year if
ideally placed - that's real data collected for the DTI. The gas
to produce a similar amount of energy cost somewhat less than £40
at current prices.

But the cost of additional panels does not double the installation
cost. There probably is an economic rationale for installing solar
panels where you have a family house with 4+ occupants and where mains
gas is not available. My place (single occupancy, condensing combi)
has a roof ideally suited to a solar panel. According to SAP2005 and
doubling the notional fuel cost of 1.73p/kWh, a 2m2 panel would save
me about £20p.a. Needless to say, it's not on the to-do list.

But nearly every week I talk to people who have come up against the
'Merton Rule' which requires new developments of any size to show that
10% of energy comes from renewables - so solar panels are the usual
way round, although on flats it makes little sense to do this. This
requirement is imposed by planner, not Building Regs. Spending the
money on (say) triple glazing would not be acceptable. And this is not
NuLab at work: councils of all persuasions have fallen over themselves
to copy Merton.

--
Tony Bryer SDA UK 'Software to build on' http://www.sda.co.uk