Solar Thermal

Solar thermal water heating uses energy from the sun to heat water. There are three main types of solar thermal systems including flat-plate collectors, evacuated tube collectors and high efficiency solar collectors.

Solar Hot Water Heating systems use sunlight to heat water directly. A typical panel would be around 3 square metres, so integration into the design of a new build is cheaper and easier than retrofitting, although they suggest that a solar thermal system could be integrated into an existing gas-boiler system.

Systems should be roof-mounted and oriented to face between south-east and south-west. It is estimated that they could meet all water heating requirements in summer and around 50% in winter for a domestic residence. They require little maintenance, although they should be checked regularly, and can have a significant part to play in reducing your carbon footprint.

According to the National Energy Foundation, direct solar heating installed in new-build can recoup costs within two years, if used as part of a low energy building approach. An installation into an existing property may take between 6 to 15 years to reach payback. Also, the Energy Saving Trust provide information on grants available to assist with installation costs as part of the low carbon buildings programme.

GreenSpec
This site describes how Solar Water Collectors work, including information on the two categories of collectors Flat Plate and Evacuated Tube, direct and indirect heat distribution, circulation systems, storage tank configurations and designing a solar hot water system.
http://www.greenspec.co.uk/html/energy/solarcollectors.html

Energy Saving Trust (EST) Comprehensive guidance can be found on the EST website for solar water heating systems. Some of this guidance has been included in this section.
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk

EST (March 2006) Solar hot water systems - guidance for professionals, conventional indirect models (CE131)
This guide is designed to help installers, specifiers and commissioning engineers ensure that conventional indirect solar domestic hot water systems (SDHW) comply with current UK standards, regulations and industry best practice. Content of the guide includes design, installation, commissioning and documentation.
www.est.org.uk/uploads/documents/housingbuildings/CE131%20%20%20solar%20water%

EST (December 2006) Solar water heating factsheet
A fact sheet on solar water heating including descriptions of system types www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/content/download/1556/10386/version/1/file/publications

EST (June 2001) Solar hot water systems in new housing - a monitoring report (GIR88)
A short guide that explores solar water heating in new developments. Written for housing associations, developers and architects, this guide covers the design, implementation and economics of solar water heating schemes. Output data for real installations is given.
www.est.org.uk/uploads/documents/housingbuildings/GIR88%20-%20Solar%20Hot%20

IT Power for ETSU (1999) Active solar heating system performance and data review
Review of active solar heating systems installed in Northern European countries including the UK and it provides a useful list of parameters for measurement when monitoring an active solar system. (DTI ref. URN 00/1673).
http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file16518.pdf

The Energy Monitoring Company Ltd (2001) Analysis of performance data from four active solar water heating installations - interim report
Outputs of a two year study looking at active water heating installations which includes data on quality of collector performance, information on hot water usage and delivery temperature, output from collectors and proportion of household hot water requirement met by installation. Comprehensive data is presented which may be of use when assessing the suitability of solar thermal installations for a property/ies. (DTI ref. URN 01/781)
http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file16522.pdf

Side by side testing of 8 solar water heating systems (2001)
Tests on 8 different systems running simultaneously at one site with the same conditions
http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file16826.pdf

National House Building Council
The NHBC have produced two reports which review the opportunity for microgeneration and renewable technologies. The documents include guides to, technology overview, cost effectiveness and local impact.
http://www.nhbcfoundation.org/Portals/0/NF7%20-%20A%20Review http://www.nhbc.co.uk/NHBCpublications/LiteratureLibrary/