Solar panels are proven to be the most beneficial of all renewable technologies

The easiest way to describe how this technology works is this:
Using a special fluid which circulates through the panel and down to the a special hot water tank which includes a heating coil. The speed of flow is regulated depending on temperatures. On a sunny day the flow rate speeds up, on a cloudy day it slows down, thus regulating the heat output. Some people prefer the aesthetics of flat panels because they can be install onroof or inroof, making this type of installation ideal for new builds.

In most cases, a special solar compatible tank will be needed to be installed but if you prefer to keep your existing tank, then solar tubes may benefit you.

The easiest way to describe the benefits of solar tubes is this:

A proven and stylish technology, ‘direct’ evacuated tubes, can be retro fitted to an existing hot water cylinder in most cases or added as a diy installation to new build or renovation project. Very simply, instead of heating in-directly (through coil) direct solar tubes heat the contents of your hot water tank ‘directly’. This heating innovative way gives better performance than flat panels but more importantly it means you can fit it and forget it, unlike traditional systems which need servicing every 2 years (at a cost of £150). This is the next generation solar technology which received ‘green building product of the year’ 2007 Your existing gravity-feed tank is suitable for this type of installation, thus bringing down the cost of an installation to most people. Ideal if you want to use your twin coil/spare coil for other purposes such as wood burning stoves etc.

FACT: Both technologies work well even on cloudy days.

Solar tubes can be used alongside a ‘vented’ hot water tank, which is usually an existing gravity feed (cold tank and hot tank) or ‘Thermal Store’ system, eliminating the need to buy, an expensive twin coiled tank. Both Flat solar panels and solar tubes are compatible with ‘high pressure’ tanks and ‘twin coil’ tanks.

Not compatible with ‘combi boilers’. You will need to replace it with a condensing boiler/hot water tank system. A standard hot water system will be adequate for a family or up to 300 litre’s tank volume. A solar tubes system at peak output is 1.6 kW, similar to an immersion heater, or 1500 kWh and 2000 kWh annually. Installation costs for ‘Hot water’ solar start from £3,000. DIY solar tubes kits are also available. From March to October, you will not need to use your boiler, to heat up your hot water supply and in winter it will reduce the need, for your boiler to fire up dramatically. There are two types of solar technology:

PV solar in most cases is not a replacement. The percentage of your energy it will produce, will depend on your energy consumption rate and the size of system installed. Each case is different, but a PV system installation would generate approximately 750kWh/year per kW installed. So a typical 2 kW system would generate around 1500 kWh per year. Contacting your energy supplier and finding out your annual consumption rate is recommended.

Installation costs for PV solar start from £6,000.

PV solar does not have to be installed on your homes roof. Can be installed away from your main home, such as barn roofs or on a A frame structure.

FACT: Planning permission is no longer required to install solar panels