How does Solar Thermal Work?

1. Cold water enters the system from mains supply
2. If the collector is warm enough the pump will be activated by the Solar Controller
3. Solar fluid is then pumped round the collector, heated by solar energy
4. This fluid then passes in to a cylinder heating up the water via a coil
5. If required a second coil brings up the water to the pre-set temperature via an existing boiler
6. Hot water is now available through the taps

Solar Thermal systems are amongst the most efficient of all the technolgies. At the moment we are restricted to heating bathing water indirectly through a heat exchanger system utilising another heat source mechanism as a back up.

We normally install such systems when we upgrade an old boiler with say a heat source heat pump or biomass plant. As a addition to an existing system they can be relatively expensive. That said, The government's RHI scheme is designed to help consumers recover the cost of the capital outlay over a 7 year period.

Please feel free to discuss the RHI available on these systems.