Save up to 60% with Solar Water Heating

Yes even in Glasgow and Lanarkshire a Solar Water Heating system from Barclay Erskine can save you between 40% and 60%* of your water heating costs. The GreenSkies solar panels that we employ do not rely on high temperatures or direct sunlight to work and can deliver significant energy savings on cloudy days. This is because they work on the principal of light absorption rather than needing heat or direct sunlight.

* Figures from Energy Savings Trust, publication CE102

How does it work?

As Solar Water Heating cannot provide all your hot water needs, the system is designed to work in conjunction with a regular or system boiler which is used to supplement the solar heating when required. The main elements of the system are

• Solar Panel(s)
• Regular or System Boiler
• Water Cylinder
• Intelligent Controller
• Water Pump

The controller compares the temperature of the water in the cylinder and the temperature from the panel to decide when to use the solar panel and whether it needs to use the boiler for additional heating. Typically the system will use solar heating for 90-100% of hot water in the summer, 40-50% in Spring and Autumn and 5-15% in Winter.

Is my house suitable for Solar Water Heating?

Whilst we would always recommend having one of our trained installers come and give you a free survey and quote there are a number of factors that you can use to get a good idea of how suitable your particular house may be. The main points are

Do you have a suitable location for the solar panel(s)?
Generally a S, SE or SW facing pitched roof is best, however we have brackets that can allow the panels to be sited on flat roofs, or even vertical walls. The strength of the roof also needs to be considered as the solar panels can be fairly heavy and the roof will need to be able to bear the load.

Do you have a hot water tank or the space for one?
The hot water tank is a crucial part of the system and for solar water heating it is often sized slightly larger than for conventional in order to maximise the efficiency of the system. If you already have a tank then it will often need to be replaced as a twin coil tank is required.

Do you have a regular or system boiler?
Solar water heating is not suitable for use in conjunction with a combi boiler, which provides instant hot water rather than heating a tank. If you have a combi boiler that is at the end of its life then you could consider solar water heating when replacing it, provided you have the space and location for the solar panels and the hot water tank.

Are there any grants or financial help available?
The grants and loans available are constantly changing, the Energy Savings Trust has the most up to date and best information on current government grants

Worcester Bosch Greenskies Solar Water Heating

Barclay Erskine are accredited installers for Worcester Bosch's Greenskies solar water heating system. The main components of the system are

Greenskies Solar Panels

There are two basic types of solar water heating panel, evactuted tube and flat plate. The evacuated tube panels are more efficient but due to their more complex construction are more expensive as well.

Greenskies Solar-Lux evacuated tube solar panels are our highest performing solar panels. They offer solar hot water luxury even when conditions are cold and cloudy. Double glass vacuum tubes and 360 degree absorption using Compound Parabolic Compound (CPC) mirror technology mean that the Solar-Lux panels represent maximised hot water output for minimised roof space.

The Greenskies flat panel range of solar water heating collectors come in two variants, the FKC standard and the FKT high efficiency panels. Both portrait and landscape formats are available.

Greenskies Cylinder series

The Worcester Greenskies cylinder is a mains pressure twin coil storage cylinder specifically designed to be installed in conjunction with Worcester Greenskies solar system along with a regular or system gas- or oil-fired boiler to cater for a range of hot water requirements. The Greenskies solar cylinder is made from Duplex stainless steel for excellent corrosion resistance. Greenskies cylinders have a strong rust-proofed steel case and are well insulated with environmentally friendly foam. They are available in a range of 4 sizes from 180-300 litres.

Greenskies cylinders are WRAS and BBA approved to show compliance with Building Regulations G3 and Part L and carry a 25 year warranty.

Only for use with one fossil fuel appliance and one solar system (the use of two fossil fuel appliances is not permitted).
WRAS: Water Regulation Advisory Scheme
BBA: British Board of Agreement

Greenskies Compatibility and Control

All Worcester Greenstar gas- and oil-fired system and regular boilers are designed to work in harmony with Greenskies solar water heating to provide you with extra economy.

The Worcester solar range includes two controllers, the TDS10 simple controller – which allows the user to select the temperature required at the hot water cylinder. The controller then automatically decides when to run the pump to bring the energy from the panels to the cylinder.

We also have the ISM1, intelligent controller, which enables the hot water system to take heat from the solar panels but brings the boiler back on when there’s not enough solar energy available. This way, the user gets maximum benefit from solar heating while ensuring that hot water is always available.