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Anyone invested in solar panels for heating?

  • 23-04-2006 10:03pm
    #1
    rfallon
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21 ✭


    Hi,

    Now that the govenment has moved on introducing grants on renewable energy, I thought the time had come to consider getting solar panels for my house to provide hot water for my home. I've read some stuff out there and it all seems good - but a lot of it is sales stuff. I'd like to hear from real people who have purchased a system and to get their opinion on the whole process from finding a supplier, installing it and see if it really saves you all the money we hear about. Also, what's the rough cost of running the circulation pump, etc. Any information, ideas would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks in advance.


Comments

  • #2
    piraka
    Closed Accounts Posts: 353 ✭✭piraka


    As I understand from the grants, solar panels and micro wind turbines are not covered. The grants are being given for wood chip boilers/stoves, solar water heating and geothermal pumps.

    When inquiring about the water heaters I asked about solar panels(why install water heaters if I can use solar for the heating system) I was told that the return on installation does not them economically viable


  • #3
    rfallon
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 21 ✭rfallon


    Uh oh! I really meant solar water heating systems. I could understand that solar panels would be uneconomical, as you require batteries to store energy, and I understand that the panels themselves would have a limited life for generating power. Thanks for correcting me on the question - I would like to know if people have installed solar water systems and how they worked out for them,

    Thanks,
    Ray


  • #4
    Evergreen
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 254 ✭✭Evergreen


    Hello Rfallon,

    I did an excersise recently on the advantages of installing a solar water heating system in relation to payback periods, of course a lot depends on the amount of hot water you use and your current method of heating your hot water.

    We supply a 6.1 sq meter solar panel set for EUR 3550 plus VAT

    The grant for the system is EUR 1830 so the end cost is around EUR 2500 including VAT.

    Anyway, I used a daily heating period of 2 hours per day with a heat load of 2kW and the payback periods were similar to this

    Electricity 13 years
    Oil 24 years
    Wood pellets 50 years.

    Obviously if you have a higher heat load, for example with a large family or if the price of the other heating methods increases then the the payback period will come quicker.

    Hope this helps?

    Ned


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