For those of you that have PV panels and a tank that has an electric immersion heater either as a main heat source or backup, a power diverter or optimiser is a must with energy prices as they are.
For anyone who doesn't know the details, the optimiser diverts any unused power from the PV array to any pure resistive load such as an immersion heater. Basically it gives you free hot water when the panels are generating a surplus of 100w and above.
Cost £250 to £300 plus an hour or so to fit. Payback should be around a year depending on usage, tariff etc.
For anyone who doesn't know the details, the optimiser diverts any unused power from the PV array to any pure resistive load such as an immersion heater. Basically it gives you free hot water when the panels are generating a surplus of 100w and above.
Cost £250 to £300 plus an hour or so to fit. Payback should be around a year depending on usage, tariff etc.
In reply to Post #1
I assume a PV is a solar panel? Not having a dig but please don't assume that the rest of us are up to speed on acronyms and the technology
I assume a PV is a solar panel? Not having a dig but please don't assume that the rest of us are up to speed on acronyms and the technology
In reply to Post #2
Sorry yes, I definitely should know better as I was always taught to use the full title of anything the first time of using. Many years ago now unfortunately and it looks like I might need some retraining🙂
I was referring to photo voltaic ( PV) solar panels which produce electricity as opposed to wet solar panels which are vacuum tubes or flat plates filled with an antifreeze which can heat domestic hot water through a heat exchanger. Hope that clarifies things.
Sorry yes, I definitely should know better as I was always taught to use the full title of anything the first time of using. Many years ago now unfortunately and it looks like I might need some retraining🙂
I was referring to photo voltaic ( PV) solar panels which produce electricity as opposed to wet solar panels which are vacuum tubes or flat plates filled with an antifreeze which can heat domestic hot water through a heat exchanger. Hope that clarifies things.
In reply to Post #3
What would be the minimum size required to heat up a fortic type of tank in a roof space.?
And would I be able to put South facing panels on a big shed ,would this be do able..my cottage 200 yrs old ,so wouldn't want to ruin look of it ..
What do you think ?
What would be the minimum size required to heat up a fortic type of tank in a roof space.?
And would I be able to put South facing panels on a big shed ,would this be do able..my cottage 200 yrs old ,so wouldn't want to ruin look of it ..
What do you think ?
In reply to Post #4
Hi Adam.
Putting panels on a shed is ideal especially if it's not too far away. You could site the inverter (and battery pack if you wanted that ) in the shed, panels on the roof and a bit of armoured cable connected the main house supply.
Unfortunately I think they have stopped the feed in tariff on new systems now so it's harder to make the sums work to justify a decent payback.
What you could do is get a battery bank installed with the panels so they charge when there is a surplus of power, then you can draw power from the batteries when the sun goes behind a cloud or throughout the evening. It's something worth investigating with rising energy costs.
Size depends a bit on how much you want to spend, your hot water usage and how much of the year you want it to contribute significantly. Typically you would use 4 or 5 kwh / day to heat your domestic hot .water so even a small 1 kw system in full sun for 5 hours would do it in the summer, assuming you are not using power elsewhere. However something like a 3 or 4 kw array of panels would work out cheaper / kw, as you would still need an inverter and all the control gear for whatever size array you have. A bigger system will provide electricity for cooking and also provide more power on those dull days when a smaller system wouldn't cope.
A panel rated about 330w would be approx 1.7 x 1 meter so 12 panels would give a reasonable size system of just under 4 kw.
Hi Adam.
Putting panels on a shed is ideal especially if it's not too far away. You could site the inverter (and battery pack if you wanted that ) in the shed, panels on the roof and a bit of armoured cable connected the main house supply.
Unfortunately I think they have stopped the feed in tariff on new systems now so it's harder to make the sums work to justify a decent payback.
What you could do is get a battery bank installed with the panels so they charge when there is a surplus of power, then you can draw power from the batteries when the sun goes behind a cloud or throughout the evening. It's something worth investigating with rising energy costs.
Size depends a bit on how much you want to spend, your hot water usage and how much of the year you want it to contribute significantly. Typically you would use 4 or 5 kwh / day to heat your domestic hot .water so even a small 1 kw system in full sun for 5 hours would do it in the summer, assuming you are not using power elsewhere. However something like a 3 or 4 kw array of panels would work out cheaper / kw, as you would still need an inverter and all the control gear for whatever size array you have. A bigger system will provide electricity for cooking and also provide more power on those dull days when a smaller system wouldn't cope.
A panel rated about 330w would be approx 1.7 x 1 meter so 12 panels would give a reasonable size system of just under 4 kw.
In reply to Post #5
My son in law was trying to get me to buy one for our holiday caravan,I'm seriously tempted
My son in law was trying to get me to buy one for our holiday caravan,I'm seriously tempted
In reply to Post #5
Thank you very much,good informative information ..
Cheers for this...
Thank you very much,good informative information ..
Cheers for this...
That's actually a great money-saving tip, thanks! I'd appreciate it if people continue sharing such tips with each other, it's pretty useful. For instance, I managed to save some money after I reduced my electricity bills by installing solar panels, and I went on a trip to Vegas last year. Well, I read by the link that people cared there about safety, and it was a huge benefit.