The systems are easy to use and are extremely energy efficient, saving us in the long run. I would have no hesitation in recommending Sustainable Heating for any job, big or small
Colin Doyle
Wicklow,
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Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Does Solar only work when the sun is shining?
A: Solar works all year round - and even in Winter it will help to give you hot water, because vacuum tubes absorb energy efficiently in all different weathers conditions and all year round.
Q: Where are the panels fitted?
A: Ideally to a south facing roof or slight deviations of about 15 - 30° from that. The inclination / pitch of the collector is equal to the geographical latitude. So if you live at 45° latitude north the ideal pitch is about 45°. Once again slight deviations are not a problem and will only slightly effect the solar yield.
Q: What are the savings?
A: Savings of up to 50 - 70% annually on the heating cost for your hot water and/or heating. Once you have the panel installed that amount of energy is free for you. The main percentage of your water heating cost is done away through the use of the solar panel. Over time, your savings will increase as the price of oil / gas / electricity and other fossil fuels will increase in the future.
Solar also reduces the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions helping to protect the environment from being polluted. CO2 is one of the largest single contributors towards global warming.
Q: Do I need planning permission?
A: Normally only if the building is in a conservation area / listed building or under construction - but you should check with your local planning office. Our panels are environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing.
Q: We have a large building - is there a suitable system to use solar thermal in a commercial setting?
A: The collectors can be integrated with your existing system to provide hot water throughout the building for toilets / showers / canteens etc in fact anywhere large quantities of free hot water can be used i.e. Hospitals / Leisure Centres and all other commercial applications.
Q: What maintenance is required?
A: No collector maintenance is required. The glass tubes are round and perfectly smooth; any dirt or dust is carried away by the wind and/or rain. There are no moving parts to wear out. All components are made from high-grade stainless steel, aluminium, copper or non-corrosive materials.
Q: What does installation involve?
A: Thermomax collectors are light and modular and can usually be installed by a qualified professional in 1-2 days. They are supplied with an aluminium frame and, being lightweight, they will attach easily to your existing structure. The solar tubes allow air to circulate around them and will not trap moisture or debris.
Q: Is it possible to retain heat gained?
A: The heat can be stored in different ways - normally it is stored in a twin coil solar cylinder for domestic hot water. It can also be used for solar space heating or to heat a swimming pool. It also possible to combine the different applications.
Q: Do I need to take any precautions when going on holiday or leaving the system unattended for long periods?
A: A well-designed and sized solar system should provide you with the right amount of hot water. Even when going on a holiday the system will still work and feed the energy into the cylinder. There the losses will at some stage level out with the energy provided. This will just lead to a slightly higher cylinder temperature.
What is a heat pump and how does it work?
A heat pump is an electrical device that extracts heat from one place and transfers it to another. The heat pump is not a new technology; it has been used in Sweden and around the world for decades. Refrigerators and air conditioners are both common examples of heat pumps.
Heat pumps transfer heat by circulating a substance called a refrigerant through a cycle of alternating evaporation and condensation (see Figure 1). A compressor pumps the refrigerant between two heat exchangers. In one heat exchanger, the evaporator, the refrigerant is evaporated at low pressure and absorbs heat from its surroundings. The refrigerant is then compressed en route to the heat exchanger, the condenser, where it condenses at high pressure. At this point, it releases the heat it absorbed earlier in the cycle.
Can anyone have rock-/ground-/lake source heating?
It completely depends on the circumstances. If you have a rock shelf not too far beneath the surface of the ground it is no problem. If you have a large plot or fields around the house, ground source is a very good alternative because it is many times cheaper to install. If your house is near a lake and you have a lake plot with permission to use water source heating this is also a good alternative.
How deep must the collector be between the bore hole and the house? The collector should be laid about 1 m deep and act as a ground collector on the way to the house. Incoming and outgoing pipes should be separated or insulated from each other.
Will the heat in my bore hole run out?
The heat that is taken from the ground comes from the sun’s rays and as long as the sun shines the ground is recharged during the summer months provided that the installation is correctly dimensioned. The ground operates as a gigantic battery where water conducts new heat into your bore hole.
We are a family of four, is the integrated water heater of 160 litres enough?
That completely depends on what your hot water consumption is as a family. In normal use 160 litres is fine for a family. If one has a jacuzzi that is used frequently one should perhaps consider either supplementing with an external hot water heater (Compact 200 type) or select an 11-model with external accumulator tank.
I have a pool, wood boiler and a solar panel. Can I use these together with the heat pump?
NIBE’s heat pumps and other products, such as boilers and hot water heaters, are designed to be compatible with lots of different products and operating conditions. NIBE recommends different solutions for dockings between different systems. These can be found in “Installation and Maintenance Instructions” which can be downloaded from the website. For special cases contact NIBE and we will help find the best solution.
How should one isolate the collector at the house?
The collector must be insulated for the last few metres (at least 2 m) to the house. This is to avoid freezing around the collector with frost ruptures as a result.
Why dimension with an immersion heater at the core, isn’t it better to have a more powerful compressor and therefore use less expensive electricity?
A heat pump is dimensioned for best operation and that is obtained if it is too little for the coldest days of the year (which is when the immersion heater kicks in) and just right for the rest of the year.
How many starts of the compressor is normal per day/year?
That varies quite a lot, it depends on how many hours the compressor runs in a year. Normal number of compressor hours is anything from 3000 to 4500 hours/year. As a result of this there are more starts if the hours are fewer. Likewise if the starts are fewer the hours are more. Normal number of starts is anything from 4000 to 16000 starts/year. There may be even more in special circumstances.