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Solar Tech is a local business which was set up late 2006, to meet the ever increasing demand in renewable energy sources. The quality of products offered and the relatively low prices of equipment mean that Solar Tech customers benefit from the latest technology at a very competitive rate.
The previous attitude of '”If you care about the environment you’ll have to dig deep in your pockets” has become a myth with the introduction of high efficiency solar collectors which are suitable for use in less sunny climates such as here on the Isle of Man. These come at a price which will see a return on your investment in as little as 2-3 years (based on DIY installation). With a design life exceeding 15 years this obviously will prove an excellent investment for both the short and long term. The returns will only increase with the inevitable rise in energy costs. Systems such as these are becoming much more desirable and with the prospect of hot water bills being reduced by up to 60%, your property will prove much more appealing should you come to sell it.
Solar energy is the cleanest and most inexhaustible of all known energy sources. Solar radiation is the heat, light and other radiant energy that is emitted from the sun. The sun's energy, although plentiful, has been hard to directly harness until recently.
If you are having any form of roof work carried out, an extension built or even having a new domestic hot water cylinder fitted now is the time to seriously consider implementing a solar heating system as this will save you money with overall installation costs.
Evacuated tube solar panels
Solar Hot Water panels simply convert sunlight into heat. Typically, if you have a south facing roof, only one panel is required to be fitted but should be sized according to the volume of water you want to heat. In most cases a Solar Hot Water panel will become your primary means for water heating. This will decrease dependency on your oil, gas or electric boiler, thus cutting usage and bills from the utility companies.
Do not be put off if you have an unconventional or complicated existing hot water system. Solar hot water can be fitted and applied to virtually any circumstances. Navitron has the equipment and expertise on hand to cater for almost every situation.
A basic solar water heating system is not as complicated as it may seem. Many homeowners choose to fit solar hot water themselves. Whether you want to fit solar yourself or have a professional do it for you, please contact us and we can guide you every step of the way, whether it be putting you in touch with an installer in your area oo providing technical advice.
Key Benefits
- Lowers your energy bills and gas/electric boiler usage
- Generates heat throughout the daylight hours
- Low maintenance
- Easy to install
- Lowers carbon footprint, emissions and dependency on fossil fuels
- Adds value to property
Swimming Pools
Swimming pools are an ideal application for solar water heating, as the temperature required is quite low - less than 30°C. Most installers will recommend flat plates to keep the price down - because the amount of panels required is much larger than for heating domestic hot water - however, if you can buy a high efficiency evacuated tube solar panel for the same money - you might as well enjoy solar heated pool water all year round - instead of just in July and August! If you used flat plates, a rule of thumb
For calculating what you need is to fit the equivalent of 50% of the pool's surface area. For Vacuum tube panels, this is reduced to 25% - and of course, they will carry on working in the autumn, winter and spring. The 20 tube panel is 2.25m2 so each panel will heat 11m2 of pool area. A 40m2 pool would only need 4 20 tube panels. Compare this to the cost of heating a pool for a year!
Installation is very simple. If you have chlorine you will need to fit a stainless steel heat exchanger (this is because chlorine causes copper to corrode, they are needed for conventional heating methods for the same reason). If you don’t have chlorine, you can simply put the solar panel in-line with the pool filter, so that the pump directs water through the panel before returning it to the pool. As the panel will NOT radiate heat on cold days, heat losses will be confined to your pipe runs only - so you do not necessarily need a controller, although one can be fitted, to control a 3-way solenoid valve to divert the water through the panel when the panel is hotter than the pool water.