subject: What is a Solar Energy Powered Domestic Hot Water System [print this page] In a normal installation, the hot water from a solar hot water system is fed into an existing conventional boiler or immersion system where it is then made hotter. The fact that the water has already been heated means that the immersion or boiler system does not have to work so hard to heat the solar hot water' to the required temperature and this can save a great deal of energy. During the summer months it may not be necessary for the hot water provided by the Solar system to be heated further; depending on personal preferences, it may already be quite hot enough.
Is a Solar Hot Water installation cost effective? As a new installation on an existing dwelling, it's fair to say that based on the energy savings, you will not be booking your holiday to Barbados anytime soon! However, given that Solar Energy is free and that ongoing maintenance costs are very low, it is a certainty that that you will immediately cut your heating bills.
For some people, there is much more to it than simply saving money; installing a Solar system will definitely reduce your carbon footprint and therefore make an ecological contribution to planet Earth. We should all be grateful to these people because they drive environmental change and without change we would all be clutching facemasks over our mouths as we walked the streets of our major cities.
How much of an issue is global warming? Even sceptics cannot ignore the fact that scientists have been analysing temperature records taken from the air and oceans over the last 150 years. The data they have gathered clearly indicates that despite random year on year temperature variations, each decade has been warmer than the last since the 1980's.
Much of the warming has been attributed to man made activities leading to notable increases in greenhouse gas emissions since the start of the industrial revolution. The effects of global warming are most evident when considering the rate at which glaciers are retreating in the Arctic, Antarctic and Greenland which is 90% covered by a blanket of ice; Greenland has seen dramatic increases in summer melt waters during the past decade.
The consequences of global surface temperature increases are increasing carbon dioxide levels and rises in sea levels, with Greenland's melting ice contributing 0.5mm to an overall 3.26mm per year of sea level rise. These measurable increases have led many to believe they will contribute to changes in weather patterns, the expansion of subtropical deserts, possible extinction of vulnerable species and changes to agricultural yields; playing our part in reducing our carbon footprint can help reduce these effects.
What is the future for Solar Energy? For all of the above reasons, the need for it will most certainly become increasingly more urgent and important. New home builders will soon have a legal obligation to incorporate renewable energy sources into their plans and the UK government has already obligated us to meeting eye watering renewable energy targets set by the EU. The latter will surely require subsidies for solar installations on existing dwellings if the targets are to be met.
There is a whole new market out there waiting to be tapped and anyone with even a hint of entrepreneurial flair will undoubtedly be rubbing their hands with glee. Retailing, installing and servicing renewable energy installations is potentially going to as big as mobile phones and fibre-optic broadband! It has government support and falls into the rapidly emerging and powerful ecology sector.
In a market that is still virtually brand new, there is a huge opportunity to quickly become established as the local expert.
What is a Solar Energy Powered Domestic Hot Water System
