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  • Energy crunch for UK power in seven years

    • Steve Holliday, chief executive of National Grid told the Times newspaper that Britain could face regular blackouts within seven years if the Government does not intervene to prevent an energy gap that will be created by future power station closures. The warning came after Ofgem, the energy industry regulator, said it was to consider fresh incentives to encourage the development of renewable energy schemes in Britain.
Worried about planning Permission?

Residential - From the 6th April 2008 homeowners will be able to install Solar Panels on their property without the need for planning permission as long as the following is adhered to:-

1) Roof mounted panels must not protude more than 200mm from the roof slope
2) Freestanding panels must not exceed 4 meters above ground level

See here for more details.

Commercial - In most cases this is yes however, a phone call to your local planning department will confirm the exact requirements. We can provide this as a service if required.

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The We Support Solar Campaign

We are backing the We Support Solar campaign who are working to highlight the value of solar PV in the UK and to ensure the Government sets an appropriate rate for the solar Feed-in Tariff to ensure a clean, renewable future for generations to come.

The Renewable Energy Assurance Scheme
We are members of the Renewable Energy Assurance Scheme (REAL) and abide by the high standards set out in their code of practice


The Greater manchester Chamber of Commerce

We are members of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce who actively promote and support North West Businesses.

Solar Hot Water

Even in the UK there is plenty of solar radiation available for producing hot water for domestic and commercial applications. Please note that we said radiation and not sunshine. It is a misconception that solar panels will only work in direct sunlight and both the Flat plate and Evacuated Tube collectors we supply and install are capable of heating a domestic hot water cylinder to 60°c even on an overcast day.

How much solar energy do we receive?

Dreamweaver CS3The chart to the left shows that in the Northern England we receive an average of 1000 kWh (kilowatt hours) of energy per square meter of south facing roof per year. As an average household uses in the region of 3,000 kWh a year to heat hot water it is easy to see how even a single 2m squared solar panel can supply a majority of your hot water needs..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What makes up a solar hot water system?

There are a number of components that make up a system.

An Example solar system component diagram

1 - Panels

Firstly you have the solar panel (or collector). There are two types of panel, Evacuated Tube and Flat Plate. Each have their own benefits and we will discuss your requirements in order select the most appropriate for your situation.

2, 4, 6, 7 & 8 - Solar Station

The solar station is a number of components packaged together to make a neat installation. The main element is the pump (7) and this moves the water and antifreeze through the panel, being heated up as it goes, and returns it to the tank where it is passed through a coil to trandfer the heat into the water stored in the tank. Associated with the pump are isolation valves (6), a filling loop (4) (used when comissioning the system), a pressure guage (2), Pressure relief valve (8) and an expansion vessel (5).

Controller (not shown)

This is the brains of the system. It monitors the temperature of the water at various points in the system in order to determine when to turn the pump on and off and can be configured to gain the optimum amount of energy.

Free no-obligation survey and quote

As part of understanding the most suitable solution we will visit your property in order to identify your usage needs, component location and ensure there is suitable access to your roof.

We will then create a bespoke solution for you within a couple of days. There is NO hard sell so you wont be asked to commit to anything or sign anything as part of this survey which will last between 30 to 45 minutes.