As long as you own your house and have enough space for panels on your roof or wall, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to benefit from a solar thermal system. Below are a few factors you should consider.
Does your roof get plenty of sun?
South facing is best, although panels on roofs facing towards the east or west will also perform well. If you do have an E/W split roof, we often recommend a split system, to make the most of the sun throughout the day
Is the pitch / angle of the roof between 30º and 45º?
This is the ideal pitch, although we can work with any pitch from 10º to 60º
Do you have 3-4m2 free from chimneys, vents and windows?
There needs to be a minimum clear roof area for installation
Is the area free from shading?
Shadows from trees, buildings and chimneys will reduce the output of the panels
Is the roof structurally sound?
It will need to support the weight of the panels safely – we’ll check this during our site visit
Do you have space for a larger or additional hot water cylinder?
You’ll usually need to replace your existing hot water cylinder with a larger twin-coil model, or install an additional thermal store. They can be pretty bulky so check you have the floor space, especially if you have a combination boiler. Generally speaking, a twin coil cylinder’s volume is a third greater than a standard cylinder.