Thermodynamic Roof Panels

Gumbo

Guys, anybody use these? Coming across the lately as an alternative to traditional solar panels.

Claim to heat 100% of your water 365 days a year. Based on the refrigerator principle and hooked up to a stainless steel cyclinder cost about 4k.

I'm considering some form of water heating for an extension in my home and have a south facing roof if I need solar also.

The unit uses electricity to run the compressor but not to heat the water directly. The compressor compresses gas as it travels down from the solar panel and in turn as a result of compression the gas becomes superheated. The heat contains 3-4 tines the energy used to run the compressor. An average annual running cost is approx €120 -€150 per year depending on water consumption and total occupancy of the house. It allows your hot water cylinder to become independent of oil or an immersion. Same temperature water 365 days of the year.

No you never have to supplement the hot water at all. This is the guarantee we give our customers. The system is capable of heating your hot water to the same temperature everyday. There is no immersion used at anytime. The temperature of your cylinder is monitored at all times. Once you use enough water to cool the cylinder down by 10 degrees the system will then turn itself on and reheat the water back up to the desired temperature.

Thanks.

Calahonda52

Kc, this got a run recently here on boards: snake oil I believe was the consensus.

BryanF

Seai are incompetent and included this on their solar panel list instead of their heat pump list.

Gumbo

Calahonda52 wrote: »

Kc, this got a run recently here on boards: snake oil I believe was the consensus.

Seeing mixed reviews alright.

I guess it can also come down to the real cost of putting in renewables in a renovation project

Are the financially worthwhile? New build, entirely required, even if it is a tick the box exercise, on a renovation........I don't know anymore?

BryanF wrote: »

Seai are incompetent and included this on their solar panel list instead of their heat pump list.

I believe you cannot use these to claim grants though, they are excluded.

PeteHeat

BryanF wrote: »

Seai are incompetent and included this on their solar panel list instead of their heat pump list.

The truth is they can't include it in their heat pump list because no relevant COP data could be provided by the manufacturers.

If SEAI were as careful as their UK counterparts they wouldn't have registered the panel either as the test results supplied were found to be false due to the panel being tested with water instead of the refrigerant the system uses.

For consumers watch out for the immersion heater which can't be turned off!
.

MicktheMan

kceire wrote: »

Are the financially worthwhile?

Well, lets do the maths.
In a standard set-up (where dhw can be heated by a conventional central heating system independently of the heating), the dhw cost to a 5 person household should be no more than 300 - 350 euro.

You say that the system can provide 100% dhw but at what running cost? Lets assume 150 euro and no maintenance costs over the payback period

So you are saving 200 euro pa on an investment of 4000, so a payback period of 20 years.

Given the facts that the performance "claims" are dubious, running costs are unknown, no maintenance costs have been included in the above calcs and you already have (and paid for) a perfectly good water heating system, imo, they are far from financially worthwhile.

Btw, similar analysis and conclusions can be drawn for standard solar thermal systems. A government backed scam, if you will.