Solar Power Heating
                            by Mark Klocek

As  I  said  in the last issue of Miggy Byte I would tell you about solar
power water heating.

Recently  we  have  installed  solar  powered  water heating (SPWH) for a
princely sum of £4900 in my house hold.  It would usually cost £6500, but
due to them wanting to get a foot hold we got a discount.

These  solar  panels are placed on a roof, they are made a special way so
as  to  absorb as much heat as possible, which is then used to heat water
in another boiler.

The  standard  water boiler you have already installed is usually left on
except  when  the heat provided by the solar panels is enough to heat the
water  to  at  least  55 degrees celsius, which is when water can be used
directly.

Otherwise  when hot water is used from the conventional boiler the warmer
water  from  the  solar boiler is used to replace this water.  This means
less enegy is required to heat this water to make it hot again.

Its   a   pretty  simple  idea,  but  it  certainly  works.   Payback  is
approximately  in  10 years.  This means its probably worth getting it if
you  do  not  plan  moving house and do have the money to cover it, which
unfortunately is quite high.

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