"NickW" wrote in message
om...
Ah Ha !! Very Interesting Nick. The only thing with this is, will it
work
in a British winter ? This system would be great for hot air heating
during
the winter months, but do we get enough sunny days to make it viable ?

Me thinks me needs more research into this subject.

I may be back.


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Well, in the link I posted the guy's system produces an average of
0.25 kw from a collector of size 2.8 sqm on an "overcast winters day".
I don't know where he lives but it's snowing there!

I guess the main benefit will be in spring and autumn where the
central heating will hopefully not come on much at all. Come the
middle of winter, I'm sure it will be on a lot.

However, I was looking at my site this morning and realised that the
garage roof might get shaded in the winter when the sun is low. It
gets sun all day in the summer...

Here is a photo of the site (looking east so the garage is north of
the house):
http://home.no.net/enaasen/back_garden_from_gate.JPG

So I might have to rethink :-(

If it's a non starter, I'll see if I can persuade the wife to have
removable panels on the ground at the front of the house...

Nick

It looks loverly Sir, and I am now jealous. I live in an Edinburgh
Tenement, but have to say that these houses are very cosy all year round.
Not to hot in the summer and well insulated for the winter months.

I see what you mean about the garage being in the shade, and the picture was
taken on quite a clear day which is ideal for your idea. So it may have to
be portable panels out the back door.

What the neighbours and I have done here, is put a small wind generator on
the roof, shhh, don't tell anyone 'cause it needs planning permission, which
runs the door entry system and a light at the bottom of the stairs, from a
rechargeable car battery system, that's how small it is. If we'd gone down
the, so called, correct route, we'd have had a big electric meter and fuse
blocks right at the bottom of the stairs or someone running cables through
the common stair to one of the houses, and no one here wanted that. So the
pyro' runs down the outside of the building and up to the front door, and it
only cost me a day a year to check that it's all OK. Which it has been now
since 19 dot and a bit.

Have you thought about going with a wind turbine ? Nothing to huge, just
something that would give enough power to run your hot water tank and maybe
a few outside lights at night from a battery storage system. It would help
cut at least something off the bills a bit. In the picture it looks like
the perfect spot for a small turbine not to far away from the back of the
house, and disguised by the trees in the background.