Solar Panel Heating Systems
Solar Panel Water Heaters
Solar Panel Water Heating systems collect the energy from the sun and transfer this energy to your water tank. Surprisingly the solar radiation level in the south of Ireland is among the highest in Northern and Central Europe.
Solar panels are usually mounted on the roof either integrated into the slates (a bit like a velux window) or fixed down on top of the slates. The panels should ideally face south to southwest. The standard hot water tank is replaced with a high capacity twin coil hot water tank with electric controllers and pump.
The main systems supplied in Ireland are:
- Flat plate collectors
- Evacuated tube
The evacuated tube models are more efficient but also more fragile and cost more than the flat plate models. When roof space is limited evacuated tubes are the recommended choice as you will need less m2 space to meet your requirements due to their superior efficiency.
Solar panel water heating may seem expensive initially (€4,000 upwards) but their long life expectancy and nearly zero cost of operation give them an extremely low life cycle cost. A grant is available towards the installation cost of solar panel water heaters so please take a look at our grants page for further information.
Click here to view some common questions and answers regarding solar panels.
Solar Panel Air Heaters
Solar panel air heating and ventilation heats air and blows it into the building. They will reduce the heating and energy demand of the home and can increase the air temperature up to 40°C even on clear winter days.
The air is usually blown into the building by an integrated solar electric fan. There are no running costs, no maintenance and are fully automatic.
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