© 2004-2009 Solar Essence ® Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Last Updated - 29/9/09
UK Head Office
45 St Helens Court
Fisons Way Ind Est
Thetford Norfolk
IP24 1HG
General Enquiries info@solaressence.co.uk
Customer Service cs@solaressence.co.uk
Trade & Phase 2 p2@solaressence.co.uk
Employment e@solaressence.co.uk
Freephone:
0800 848 8650
Advanced Renewable Energy Solutions - solar heating, dual solar heating, solar home, solar water heating, solar system, solar collectors, solar power, solar energy, solar thermal
solar facts and fiction
We train our sales personnel to a high standard & expect them to always present honest facts to you the customer. We strictly enforce company policy to never make any false or misleading claims regarding the performance, payback, or utility cost savings of our products. To this end we clearly declare here some of the main points concerning solar energy, and pick up on some of the common misconceptions to ensure that should you choose to place an order with us you are aware of all the facts.
The only claim we endorse our sales personnel to make regarding performance is the average kWh/day/year output of the collector, including test data to EN12975. An example of expected output from the solar collectors will be provided before any order is taken. This is based on test data to EN12975. How much of this energy is used as usable energy within your home will depend on factors such as how & when you use your hot water/central heating.
DUE TO THE INHERENT COMPLEXITIES REGARDING PAYBACK OF A SOLAR SYSTEM, OR UTILITY COST SAVINGS, WE DO NOT MAKE ANY CLAIM OR GUARANTEE RELATING TO PERCENTAGE SAVINGS ON YOUR ENERGY BILLS OR ON PAY BACK PERIODS.
Whilst the proposed system will significantly contribute to your energy usage no guarantee or warranty is given that the solar heating system will provide a minimum heat output or cost savings to the customer. The output of the solar heating system & therefore the cost savings will be variable, depending on many factors such as the amount of solar radiation it receives & how & when you use your hot water & central heating, and further how efficient your existing central heating and/or hot water system is.
Our hot water only systems contribute towards your hot water energy requirements. They will not assist or save you money on your central heating.
Our dual systems contribute towards your combined hot water and heating energy requirements through the design & integration of the thermal store/cylinder by sharing available heat sources between each as needed. You can not expect to run your central heating on solar energy alone.
Our swimming pool systems contribute to your heated swimming pool energy requirements. Swimming pool systems are not however designed to provide a constant temperature or heat input to the pool or within the pool. They are designed to operate all year round and integrate with your existing filtration circuit by means of a heat exchanger. Because of this your filtration pump must always be configured to operate when there is solar availability. Should you turn your filtration pump off when there is solar availability this will result in damage to the system which Solar Essence will not be liable for. Should you want to decommission your pool at any time of the year then you must also decommission your solar system which Solar Essence will be happy to do at our standard call out fee.
Whilst the systems are designed to operate all year round, in all cases all solar systems are not designed to provide 100% of your heat needs. You must have an alternative or backup heat source, such as an existing boiler or electric immersion. Savings are made because the energy the solar systems provide displaces the energy your boiler etc would otherwise have had to produce.
Whilst we have many customers who are able to switch their boiler off completely for a significant part of the year & during normal operation & water usage this could be expected. We make absolutely no guarantee that you will be able to turn your boiler off for any guaranteed period of the year. It does all depend on your lifestyle & water usage habits. For example if you use all your stored solar water at night then when you wake you will need boiler assistance to bring the cylinder back up to temperature.
The temperatures you achieve in your water cylinder solely from solar energy will also vary. In the summer time you will achieve higher temperatures than in the winter. These temperatures vary depending on the time of the year, your water usage, length of pipe runs and simply from one installation to another. Again we make no guarantee that your system will achieve any particular temperature.
All Solar Essence Water Cylinders/Thermal stores are manufactured to the highest standards and we do guarantee they meet or exceed all necessary British Standards. Other than this we do not guarantee any other thermal qualities or standards of expected heat losses.
Modern efficient modulating boilers do not achieve the same temperatures as traditional boilers. Typically new modulating boilers reach 55 to 60 degrees Celsius, hence your radiators and hot water will not achieve higher temperatures than this. This means a modulating boiler will normally fire for longer but at a much reduced energy consumption. Thus providing savings compared to traditional boilers.
Similar is true for Air Source Heat Pumps. Mitsubishi are generally recognised as the market leaders in this technology and the Ecodan range operate up to 57 degrees Celsius giving the same effects as with modulating boilers above. In independent tests carried out by the Building Research Establishment, BRE, Ecodan was found to reduce emissions by 50% and running costs by 30% in comparison to a modern gas boiler, however we make no guarantee you will match these savings.
As with all renewable energy technologies to maximise it’s efficiency will require a change in your lifestyle/living habits.
