Solar water heating

Heat water for your home with energy from the sun.

Solar water heating systems use free heat from the sun to warm domestic hot water. A conventional boiler, immersion heater or heat pump is then used to make the water hotter, or to provide hot water when solar energy is unavailable.

The benefits of solar water heating

• Hot water throughout the year. The system works all year round, though you'll need to heat water further with a boiler or immersion heater during the winter months
• Cut your bills. Sunlight is free, so once you've paid for the initial installation your hot water costs will be reduced
• Cut your carbon footprint. Solar heat is a green, renewable heating system and can reduce your carbon dioxide emissions.

Is a solar water heating system suitable for my home?

To tell if solar heating is right for you, there are a few key questions to consider.

• Do you have a sunny place to put solar panels? You'll need around 5 square metres of roof space which faces east to west through south and receives direct sunlight for the main part of the day. Alternatively, if you do not have a south facing roof and if you have space, you could install two panels, one facing east and one facing west - but this will make installation more costly. The panels don't always have to be mounted on a roof, they can be fixed to a frame on flat roofs
• Do you have space for a larger, or an extra hot water cylinder? If a dedicated solar cylinder is not already installed then you will need to replace the existing cylinder, or add a dedicated cylinder with a solar heating coil
• Is your current boiler compatible with solar heating? Most conventional boiler and hot water cylinder systems are compatible with solar water heating. If your boiler is a combination boiler (combi boiler) and you don't currently have a hot water tank then a solar hot water system may not be compatible.