Additionally, PV solar panels can heat-up your hot water.
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Solar panels made easy.
Traditionally, evacuated solar tubes and flat-plate thermal panels were the most common form of solar heating until the advent of PV-powered heating converters.
PV & water heating.
In a nutshell.
This new innovative system is a solar energy management product that gives you additional benefit from your PV solar panels excess electricity before storing in battery or exporting to the grid.
This system means you don't have to pay to import increasingly expensive electricity for heating your tank. A standard water heating costs 25% (depending on tank efficiency) of a typical household's energy costs.
Most households use an immersion heater to heat hot water, so it makes perfect sense to adopt PV solar technology that can provide hot water too.
Awesome.
To use an immersion element is the most expensive way to achieve your hot water, so using PV solar technology is smart.
Specifications.
Compatible system sizes: 0.5-4KWp.
Size: 198 mm x 132 mm x 68 mm.
Immersion or Heater Power: 100W-3500W.
MCS PV solar installers.
All our MCS installers are RECC members and work throughout England, Scotland and Wales. All MCS-qualified installers have an ethical attitude in today's modern solar industry.
MCS PV solar installers →
"PV-heating converters work side-by-side with tank-based heating systems to use excess power to heat the tank."
Real smart energy with hot water converters.
Self-consumption cuts out the unnecessary and costly middle step, allowing homeowners to cut their bills by generating and using their valuable solar power on their property.
Energy generated and consumed on site has always been the cleanest form of energy - now it's the cheapest too.
The latest eco-tech technology can enable you to adopt the following 'self-consumption' habits, which will both allow homeowners to maximise the financial benefits of their solar PV panels and achieve the environmentally desirable state of self-sufficiency.
Monitor your generation.
Keeping track of the amount of energy produced at your property will put you in the best position to get the most out of this green power.
Installing an energy monitor such as the ImmerSUN enables you to track energy generation over the course of a day, a week or a year. Using this information, you can then decide when your PV panels are producing enough energy to power your washing machine and your kettle, and when you should stick to powering one device.
Save the surplus.
There's nothing more satisfying than powering your home using energy generated by the solar PV panels on your roof, but what if you're out all day at work? It's still possible: the latest eco-technology means that you can store this surplus solar-generated energy and use it to heat your evening bath or power your television.
Automatic power controllers, such as the ImmerSUN, divert surplus energy generated by a PV system into an element driven device, such as an immersion water heater or storage heater. When you return home in the evening, the hot water from your taps will have been heated by your owner solar panels, making your bath that much more relaxing!
What's more, by using renewable power generated at your property to complete tasks later in the day, you'll be reducing your reliance on energy from the National Grid in the evenings and therefore preventing further damage to the environment, and your bank account.
Control your home - remotely!
The continued development of advanced home automation technology and apps is making it possible to use the energy generated by your solar PV system, even if you're out of the house.
Technology such as this remote control slow cooker is slowly arriving in the UK from the States; you could soon be making your supper using energy generated on your roof, and all from your office desk.
Exciting times are ahead!
Is the converter easy to install?
We can install a converter with minimum fuss. DIY installations are not possible because legally installers require a Part P electrical qualification.
What savings can I expect by installing?
This answer depends on the size of your Photovoltaic system and the amount of hot water you use in your household, but a four-person family with a 4KW PV panel system can expect to save around 200 GBP per year. Use our get 'get a quote' service to receive individualised performance data for your property.
Will I still get my feed-in tariff payments?
Yes, because currently the export payments, pay for 50% of all your units exported. This system means you can use all your units for the converter, but still receive all the export payments as per usual.
Do I need a hot water tank?
Yes, you do need a hot water tank with an immersion heater element. The converter will control your immersion heater throughout the day and the year.
If my PV panels are not generating, do I still get hot water?
Absolutely. The converter works alongside your hot water system, whether gas, oil, or electrically powered. On days when PV power is not available, your waters heated in the usual way.
Can I see how much energy I have saved?
We wouldn't have it any other way. The converter records and displays how much energy used and converted into financial savings.
Can I still use my Economy 7?
Yes, The system has a built-in immersion timer which allows three various on/off options which can be programmed for every 24 hours so taking full advantage of your off-peak supply.
Can it display the water temperature in the tank?
Yes, an optional temperature sensor can be fitted to the PV to hot water converter and display or control the hot water temperature output.
Does it have a warranty?
All converter installations come with a five-year warranty.
"Over my ten years of experience within the solar panel industry I have seen many changes, but the biggest shift has to be the change in popularity from solar heating to PV solar electricity systems."
Before this year, solar heating panels were the most popular solar technology in the United Kingdom.
As a result of this shift, photovoltaic arrays are everywhere. Consequently, fewer people are now enjoying the benefits of solar heating.
This reason is why I am now excited about a product which can turn your photovoltaic system into a hot water generator, by just using some of your excess solar-generated electricity to keep your hot water tank with a plentiful supply of hot water.
Now, this is where it gets fascinating. Most households use a tank and immersion heater element to heat their hot water requirements, so it makes sense to adapt your existing solar technology to provide for this too. If your home has this type of tank and element setup, then you can benefit from not just free electricity, but also complimentary solar-heated water too.
The best ideas are always the most straightforward and the real-world benefits are easily understood.
This new system is an innovative solar energy management product that puts your excess supply of home-generated power to use in your household first before exporting the surplus power out to the National Grid.
This technology means you don't have to pay to import increasingly expensive electricity later for heating your tank. Standard water heating costs usually amount to 25% (depending on tank efficiency) of a typical household's energy costs, and that's a sizable additional saving on top of what your solar array is currently earning you.
The benefits don't stop there because you will still be entitled to your feed-in tariff revenues even though you may have used the power for your own needs. Fantastic! The assumption when calculating your tariff rates is that 50% of your overall electricity generated will export on most domestic solar panel installations, so you can continue to claim your tariff revenue as you have already done.
This system becomes even more beneficial if you have a lower-rate generation tariff because the more of your hot water needs are powered by free-generated electricity, the higher the savings as a proportion of your system's income will be made.
Convert your PV solar panels to heat your hot water?
For most households, using an immersion element is the most expensive way to achieve your daily hot water requirements, so using your already installed PV solar panel system to power your hot water needs too, apparently makes sense.
Over the years, I have had many companies wanting to promote their solar-related products on this website and most if not all get refused, but this is the first time I actively sought out to develop a product and write about it with such enthusiasm.
Just like PV solar panels, this nifty bit of kit, is very unobtrusive and easy to install. A small additional investment will save you, even more, money far into the distant future.
For me, this PV to hot water heating converter, is the idea that I wish I had thought of myself. The best ideas are always the most straightforward and the real-world benefits are easily understood.
In a nutshell.
Reducing reliance; promoting independence.
Author.
"Forward with confidence."
Stuart Lovatt
Founder of Power My Home.
