Solar Thermal Heating 

Solar Thermal Heating systems capture the free heat from the sun and use it to heat up water for use in the home. It’s a simple process: 

• panels or evacuated tubes on your roof absorb heat from the sun – they are known as the collector 
• the water in the panels heats up 
• this hot water is pumped through a coil in your cylinder 
• heat is transferred to the water in the cylinder for domestic consumption 

Most panels are mounted on a roof. The ideal situation for solar panels is facing due south, although they are effective facing anywhere between south east and south west. 

Solar thermal panels should provide most of your hot water from April to September, and make a worthwhile contribution in the months on either side of that period. The Energy Saving Trust field trials found that solar thermal panels will provide about 60 per cent of a household's hot water needs, if well-installed and properly used.