A typical domestic solar hot water system is shown above. There are four main components of a solar hot water system.

1. Solar panels:
These are generally installed on or in a roof, facing south, although solar water heating will work effectively well the collectors are orientated anywhere south of east-west. The panels use advanced coatings on the glazing and solar collector to maximise absorption of heat.

2. Twin coil hot water cylinder:
Heat from the solar panel needs to be stored in a cylinder. Solar cylinders can be either vented or un-vented to suit your requirement. We provide a full range of solar hot water cylinders and thermal stores.

3. Secondary heat source:
There will be days when the solar collectors do not provide sufficient hot water to meet your requirements. On these days a secondary heat source will be required to back-up the solar panels, this can be a traditional boiler or immersion heater; alternatively, solar water heating integrates superbly with other renewable energy technologies such as biomass boilers and ground, or air source heat pumps.

4. Solar controls:
The solar controller monitors the temperature of the collectors and the bottom of the cylinder. In most situations when the collector array is 10 degrees C warmer than the bottom of the cylinder the controller switches on the solar circulating pump. When the collector temperature is equal to the stored water temperature the solar controller will switch the circulating pump off.