Cost, Grants and Savings

There is some initial investment that is required in order to get the solar thermal system / solar panels installed but after that there is no running cost (even the maintenance cost is almost zero) and you save a lot on your energy bills. Also, there are grants from the UK government that make it easier for you to get your solar hot water system.

Cost

The cost of a solar water heating system will depend on the size of panels, installation requirements and the type of system and the cost of a solar thermal system could range from £3000 to £5000. It would be best if you get a quote from A E Solar Systems.

Grants

Grants are also available from the UK government under the ‘Low Carbon Buildings Program’. There are national level grants and there are local level grants. Based on where you are, these grants can go up to 30% of your total solar thermal energy system cost (with an upper cap).

However, in order to be eligible for such grants, you need to satisfy certain requirements, which are all related to How energy efficient your home is’. Here are a few things that you should bear in mind with respect to eligibility for grant:

Properly insulated home to minimise the energy loss
Use of low energy appliances e.g. low energy bulbs
Thermostat with timers for your central heating system
Installation of solar thermal system is done by a MCS certified solar solutions provider

Your thermal energy system provider will be able to guide you more on what you can do to better your chances of getting a grant for your solar hot water system.

Savings

Well, the best thing about solar thermal or any other renewable energy is that helps save the environment. Now, that is where the real savings are. However, since we measure most things in terms of money (and why not?), it is important to understand how solar thermal energy systems help cut the energy bills.

Solar water heating systems can fulfil an average of 50% hot water demand for a household annually. So, you can easily calculate your savings (and yes, the savings are also dependent on your commitment towards using green / renewable energy). The 50% figure is because there are times (especially cloudy days and harsh winter days) when there is little or no sunlight.

Your savings are further enhanced when you add the Renewable Heat Incentive to your calculations for solar thermal energy savings.