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Is solar heating just for the environmentally conscious or is it viable for most households

01:00 Sat 20th Apr 2002 | Home & Garden

A. While we are dragging well behind many of our European counterparts (there are 60,000 homes in Holland that generate electricity by way of solar panels, for instance) solar heating is no longer being seen just as the domain of the stripy jumper brigade.

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The Department of Trade and Industry are currently looking at ways of providing grants of up to half the value of installing solar roof tiles in England and Scotland and they are currently funding a

�250,000 trial to test just how effective these are. Big stores like supermarket chain and, ironically even petrol stations, are increasingly including solar panels in their new-build designs.

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Q.� Are there different types

A.� Yes. The oldest method is the water heating method, which involves having a large panel, typically, four square metres square, fitted to the roof. Water is pumped through the panel, heated, and then returned to a coil in the water system which helps heat the water around it.

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This is the cheapest method, but only generates hot water and even then only about 50 per cent of what the typical household would use. However, it is still relatively cheap to install.

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The most recent method is are solar panels and shingles that are fitted to the roof much in the same way as roofing tiles are. In fact, one of the most cost efficient methods of fitting them is if you are in the process of overhauling the roof.

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Basically, the small panels, known as Photovoltaics, produce electricity when sunlight strikes the semiconductor material in the solar cells and creates a current that feeds straight back into the system, effectively turning your meter back rather than forward.

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Q. How much do they cost to install and how cost effective are they

A.� The older hot water panel should cost between

�2,000 and �3,000 to install and can save up to

�300 per year, so roughly 10 years before it has paid for itself.

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The Photovoltaic option is much more expensive at current prices given the still small market at around

�15,000-�17,000 to convert the whole roof to the system. It also takes a lot longer to pay for itself, saving an average of around �400 per year on your bills, but, remember it actually produces electricity for all your domestic needs rather than just helping you save on the cost of heating water. As demand increases, so prices should fall.

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Q.� What about planning permission

A.� The large hot water panels have caused a few problems in the past in the planning department, especially when they catch the sun and the reflection can be seen from some distance, but there is pressure on local authorities to be lenient to alternative sources of power.

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The Photovoltaic system rarely causes such problems, even in conservation areas, as to all intents and purposes it doesn't look startlingly different to a brand new tiled roof. If it is necessary to apply, which is often not the case, it is usually approved.

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Q.� Where can I get more information

A.� Log on to www.solarclub.org. Otherwise contact the Centre for Sustainable Energy, tel: 0116-929-9950, for advice and a list of reputable installers.

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If you've got a question about your home or garden, click here.

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By Tom Gard

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