Solar Heating

We install solar panels for hot water heating

How it works
Probably the most cost-effective of all the different types of renewable energy solutions that you can currently have installed, the technology that uses solar panels for hot water heating in your home is called solar thermal.

At a Glance

Save money on traditional fuels

Easy to Install/minimal maintenance - lifespan of 20 years +

Costs from around £3500

Reduce your carbon footprint

R&M’s solar panel installers will fit modules to your property, usually onto the roof so that they are up high and not over-shadowed by neighbouring buildings or trees, and a fluid inside these panels gradually absorbs radiated heat energy directly from the sun – with our modern solar panels even working on overcast days too!

The solar heated fluid within the panels is then circulated through a transfer pipe into a heating element inside your hot water cylinder, and the heat energy now transfers to your water store, resulting in a cylinder full of water that has been heated for you by solar power.

Obviously, in winter there is less solar energy than in the summer, and for this reason our solar hot water cylinders always have a secondary heating element that is connected as normal to your boiler or electrical supplies for back-up purposes.

We find however, that in a typical system, 60-70% of your annual domestic hot water heating requirements can be supplied purely from any installation – saving you money as well as drastically reducing your carbon emissions when compared with more conventional water heating systems!

The benefits of a solar thermal system

Saves you money, by providing up to 70% of your annual hot water needs purely from solar radiation.

Reduces CO² emissions on an average domestic system by an equivalent amount to taking a small car off the road for an entire year.

Easy to install & maintain, using tried & tested technology.

Our experienced solar panel installers can easily integrate their design with other heating systems to meet your additional hot water requirements during winter

Enjoy more independence from utility companies and the fluctuating (generally increasing!) costs of fossil fuels.

Lengthy projected system working lifetimes – typically 20-plus year expectancies with minimal maintenance.

Systems installed now will qualify for further subsidies under the Government’s Renewable Heat Incentive (effective from April 2012 for domestic installations) and for the one-off Renewable Heat Premium Payment for the year 2011/2012 too.

Typical costs
A two panel on-roof solar thermal system, complete with an upgraded hot water tank containing a secondary element to provide heating directly from the solar panels could be fitted to your home from around £3,500 - 4,000. Such an installation should be able to provide you with 60-70% of your household’s annual hot water needs.