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vegplot

LOW CARBON HEAT PLANS REVEALED

A second phase of the Renewable Heat Premium Payment (RHPP) scheme, which gives money off renewable technologies like biomass boilers, air and ground source heat pumps and solar thermal panels, will be launched on 2nd April this year and will be worth £10m more than the existing scheme....

http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/news/pn12_029/pn12_029.aspx
yummersetter

Thank you for posting that.

We've just been planning solar thermal for the studio in addition to changing to an electric water heating system and discussing the main house projects. As we're not on mains gas, lpg has become so expensive for our cooking, water and central heating.
dpack

£25m

nice if it helps personally and a fine way to use sunshine ,every little helps

big scale it changes nowt re c redistribution from carboniferous fossil to anthropocene fuel .spose the industrial revolution was the biggest forest fire ever

unless low impact renewable energy sources are normal fuel will run out regardless of any climatic implications
dpack

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17513488

umm
Lorrainelovesplants

does this mean we can get a grant for solar thermal?

We are a non mains gas customer...(like a lot of people in Cornwall),
Nick

does this mean we can get a grant for solar thermal?

We are a non mains gas customer...(like a lot of people in Cornwall),


Quote:
Solar thermal hot water panels - £300 grant (available to all households regardless of the type of heating system used.
dpack

i know a south facing roof ,i wonder what we could put on it

um
vegplot

With £300 grant solar hot water is a no-brainer (with the caveat that you need suitable south-ish facing roof space or similar).

It is relatively cheap to install and is perhaps the most effective of the renewable technologies available to households.
Lorrainelovesplants

Ill be doing it.
mochyn

Seriously considering that for the wash-house.
Jb

I'll be looking at solar thermal if I can get a sensible grant. I looked at but rejected the idea of solar PV for the moment but solar thermal might do a lot to cut my oil bills. Anyone got any links for how to apply for those grants?
yummersetter

With £300 grant solar hot water is a no-brainer (with the caveat that you need suitable south-ish facing roof space or similar).

It is relatively cheap to install and is perhaps the most effective of the renewable technologies available to households.


But wouldn't an east facing roof be OK too? - once the water is heated in the morning it can be stored. We've had thermometers on our east roof for several weeks and it's surprisingly hot till the early afternoon. If it's a choice I'd put the solar pv on the south side as its a case of the more the merrier with electricity but when your water's hot you just need to keep it that way. vegplot

With £300 grant solar hot water is a no-brainer (with the caveat that you need suitable south-ish facing roof space or similar).

It is relatively cheap to install and is perhaps the most effective of the renewable technologies available to households.

But wouldn't an east facing roof be OK too? - once the water is heated in the morning it can be stored. We've had thermometers on our east roof for several weeks and it's surprisingly hot till the early afternoon. If it's a choice I'd put the solar pv on the south side as its a case of the more the merrier with electricity but when your water's hot you just need to keep it that way.

It may work, there's no reason why it shouldn't if you can heat sufficient water reasonably quickly especially in the summer. In winter it could be a different prospect as you won't get anywhere near the intensity but most people will be heating water as part of their normal seasonal heating it may not be of concern.

If the panels aren't south facing then you will need a larger panel area to cope with demand but solar hot water panels are reasonably inexpensive. vegplot

One off home owner grants available:

Solar thermal - £300
Air source - £850
Ground source - £1250
Biomass - £950

If anyone needs a quote please contact me and I can arrange through a very reputable firm. joanne

How much would a whole solar thermal system cost? to say heat hot water and a number of small radiators?

Just wondering whether this is worthwhile going for as it could make my house infinitely more saleable dpack

the only sunny place is the south facing roof

tis a no brainer

same time as the flue liner Wink arvo

Have they made their minds up about landlord schemes yet?

I wonder whether we mightn't sneak in under one of those. Now living in a rental house that would be *perfect* for solar thermal. RichardW

How much would a whole solar thermal system cost? to say heat hot water and a number of small radiators?



When you need it most there is the least energy to capture. You would have to over size the system so much so it works in winter that in summer you would need a pool or hot tub to soak up the excess. Lorrainelovesplants

Just had a guy visit from CleanEarth to look at Solar Thermal for us.
John can do all the plumbing etc and they will connect the panels to the pipework, and this is fine (as John is a competent person). This will save us a lot and we will know its been done right.
Im waiting for him to come back with a price ( in a week or so).
He's going to go and research retrofit coils etc (so we can use the existing cylinder).
The grant is £300 and if the RHI thingy goes as planned we will get £270 per year roughly from this.
Now we have to think about getting rid of the electric shower for a mixer shower and think how to get the water pumped there (as we are in a bungalow we cant rely on gravity) camaro

How much would a whole solar thermal system cost? to say heat hot water and a number of small radiators?



When you need it most there is the least energy to capture. You would have to over size the system so much so it works in winter that in summer you would need a pool or hot tub to soak up the excess.

Could you not just partially cloak the panels in summer, if you were happy enough to install a "winter sized" system? vegplot
Could you not just partially cloak the panels in summer, if you were happy enough to install a "winter sized" system?

A lot of phaff and a heck of a waste of capital equipment tied up doing doing nothing for much of the year. Doable? Yes. Efficient? No. vegplot

How much would a whole solar thermal system cost? to say heat hot water and a number of small radiators?

Just wondering whether this is worthwhile going for as it could make my house infinitely more saleable

You might want to look at the merits of air source heat pumps. They have their own issues but you might it it more effective. madcat

thought about solar with a south facing roof unobstructed all day but we are in a blasted conservation area Mad 12Bore

Ask anyway, if NT can put it on castles... camaro

How much would a whole solar thermal system cost? to say heat hot water and a number of small radiators?

Just wondering whether this is worthwhile going for as it could make my house infinitely more saleable

You might want to look at the merits of air source heat pumps. They have their own issues but you might it it more effective.

I have binned hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of these - when it gets really cold, they freeze up, then go into "defrost" mode, then freeze up again - last winter I ended up geting the subbies to install £50k worth of oil boilers in a museum just up the road - the ASHPs just wouldn't work. Total cost around £100k with new controls, etc.
I'll never, ever spec one - and luckily, it was my old, now retired boss who did spec them.
Ground sourced, fine, water sourced, fine - air sourced, no way! Mutton

Various thoughts
1. Judging by neighbour's hot water system - vac tubes, big tank etc I think you could be looking at £1000s for installation so not very excited by £300 grant.

2. I wrote to the last government saying "why on earth don't you certify the installation, not the installer, so one-off DIY to a good standard can be included (there being a refundable installation check charge - not refunded if it is cr*p, sliding scale on minor boo-boos.). No-one answered.

3. Go look at BuilditSolar.com. Lots of DIY designs. And for those in conservation areas (with enough land) the solar shed. You put well insulated tanks inside a shed and the hot water panels on roof of shed and run a pipe to the house (underground and insulated). Works in a cold snowy bit of the US. vegplot

How much would a whole solar thermal system cost? to say heat hot water and a number of small radiators?

Just wondering whether this is worthwhile going for as it could make my house infinitely more saleable

You might want to look at the merits of air source heat pumps. They have their own issues but you might it it more effective.

I have binned hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of these - when it gets really cold, they freeze up, then go into "defrost" mode, then freeze up again - last winter I ended up geting the subbies to install £50k worth of oil boilers in a museum just up the road - the ASHPs just wouldn't work. Total cost around £100k with new controls, etc.
I'll never, ever spec one - and luckily, it was my old, now retired boss who did spec them.
Ground sourced, fine, water sourced, fine - air sourced, no way!

I know of one person who's very pleased with their air source heat pump after 3 years use even during the severe cold of the previous winter. Specifying an air source heat system has to take into account the local micro climate, in some situations they simply aren't effective and there are better solutions but to dismiss them in their entirety is throwing the baby out with the bath water. cassy

2. I wrote to the last government saying "why on earth don't you certify the installation, not the installer, so one-off DIY to a good standard can be included (there being a refundable installation check charge - not refunded if it is cr*p, sliding scale on minor boo-boos.). No-one answered.
I've got to agree with this. If the FIT scheme and Renewable Heat Premium Payment scheme were serious attempts to increase the use of renewables, they would have done it the way you suggest.

As it is, it seems that people are put off doing the little bits they could do relatively easily e.g. free summer hot water for around £500 (based on a quick look at Navitron) or even less with a DIY system because it doesn't appear to be worth it. alice

2. I wrote to the last government saying "why on earth don't you certify the installation, not the installer, so one-off DIY to a good standard can be included (there being a refundable installation check charge - not refunded if it is cr*p, sliding scale on minor boo-boos.). No-one answered.
I've got to agree with this. If the FIT scheme and Renewable Heat Premium Payment scheme were serious attempts to increase the use of renewables, they would have done it the way you suggest.

As it is, it seems that people are put off doing the little bits they could do relatively easily e.g. free summer hot water for around £500 (based on a quick look at Navitron) or even less with a DIY system because it doesn't appear to be worth it.

It's just a way of keeping the money in the system. The government gives the householder the grant. The householder spends it to pay over the odds to the installer because he's 'certified'. The installer pays the government to become certified. The money just goes round and round.
I'm happier to forgo the grants and FITs and go down the Heath Robinson route.
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