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How Do Solar Panels And Batteries Work Together?

With solar panel system rapidly becoming an ubiquitous phenomenon within the modern society, several homeowners in the UK are just coming to terms with the numerous benefits offered by the system. The solar power’s popularity has even led to the rise of another renewable technology - solar batteries able to store excess solar power that can be used later. Now several companies such as Tesla are now building solar batteries that can be fitted alongside solar panels for your building. So how exactly do solar panels and batteries work together? Let’s have a look!

Solar panels make use of the sun light to generate electricity and as a result, they can’t function when sunlight is absent - giving a big issue of how to power your house when it’s dark. In the event whereby this occurs, you’re afforded two options which is either to contact energy providers to buy electricity or purchase a battery storage system.

So what’s the function of the battery storage system? Basically when your solar panel provides electricity which is not needed right away, a solar battery will work to convert the DC electricity into AC energy which is going to be stored for later use (when you actually need it). in other words, your solar panels charge the batteries when you do not require the energy they’re generating right away.

As a result, when it’s dark and the solar panels are no longer functioning, your system will tap into the energy that’s already been stored by your battery for later use. This way, you can be totally independent of the National Grid, which implies more savings on your electricity bills.

Air source heat pumps are a type of heating system that you can use to warm the air in your property. They’re a semi-renewable energy generator as, although they use electricity, they extract and use renewable heat from the air.

There are two main types of air source heat pump – air-to-water, and air-to-air. Air-to-water heat pumps are the most popular, and are best used to heat water that supplies underfloor heating systems or large radiators. Air-to-air pumps heat air, which is then dispersed round your property using fans.

Do you want a low carbon way of heating your home? Then, getting an air source heat pump is the way to go! What they do is pretty simple - they absorb the potential thermal energy present in the outside air and transmit it directly to the home or property where it’s going to be compressed and the heat transferred with the help of a number of coils. In other words, it functions by extracting heat from a cooler place and then uses it to raise the temperature inside a home or property. Being very similar to air conditioning units, the amount of heat they’re going to produce for your home or property will be dependent on the size you install. Therefore, the bigger the heat pump, the more the heat that’ll be generated.

Air source heat pumps have two main types which includes air to air and air to water. Air-to-water heat pumps works by absorbing heat from the outside air, then relays it directly into your home or property through the help of fans. In order to move the heat around your home, you’ll need a warm air circulation system. This type of air source heat pump are not eligible for the government’s Renewable Heat Incentive Payment as they can’t generate hot water. What’s more? They can function in reverse during the hot summer months.

Air-to-water heat pumps, on the other hand, operates by extracting heat from the outside air and transmitting it into the wet central heating system. Due to the fact that they’re able to generate heat that’s cooler than the one generated by a conventional gas or oil boiler, they happen to be a better fit for larger radiators or water underfloor heating.

Are you interested in installing an air source heat pump in your home or property? If yes, then you’d probably want to know just how much this is going to cost. Well, so are many other potential investors in the unit and we aim to answer this question once and for all. In this post, you’re going to discover the price range at which your new air source heat pump will fall in.

As simple as it seems, the cost of an air source heat pump can’t be accurate and straightforward as there are a number of factors that greatly influences the price. These influencing factors include the size of the heat pump, the system’s complexity, your personal preference - whether simple or advanced controls, and lots more. However, according to Energy Saving Trust, an air-to-water heat pump should fall within the range of £7000 to about £11000. What’s more? You’ll also need to put into consideration the cost of upgrading your radiators or fitting underfloor heating which can also cost you thousands of pounds.

In general, the main cost of a heat pump is the upfront cost of making a purchase as well as installing it. The heat pump will consume a little amount of electricity and the running costs are also relatively low. The amount your air source heat pump will cost largely depends on your home’s size, the temperature you want your home or property to be as well as how properly insulated your home is.

The period of time it’ll take to recoup your investment in the system in energy savings will also depend on a wide range of factors including the price you pay for electricity, how efficiently the system works, how you use the heat generated and more.

So do you wish to take advantage of the heat generated by the ground to warm up your home by getting a ground source heating pump? If yes, then you’d also probably be wondering how much a ground source heat pump is going to cost so you can set a budget and start planning.

Installing and running ground source heat pump can cost between the range of £600 to £700 to run on an annual basis, meanwhile it can cost you within a range of £13,000 to £19,000 to have installed. However, you should take note that these prices can be by varying influencing factors such as the size of the installation as well as any other extra work that may needed to complete the job.

When it comes to estimating the time it takes to recover the initial cost of the system via energy savings, nothing is certain as this can be very hard to determine or predict. The main reason for this is due to the fact that it’s dependent on the efficiency of your heating system, the type of system you’re replacing ( whether or not you qualify for Renewable Heat Incentive -RHI payments ), the efficiency of your home’s insulation, how efficiently the system’s controls are being used and how the heat generated from the ground source heat pump would be put to use. However, to figure out how much you’ll save, the type of fuel replacing is perhaps the most essential. For a four bedroom detached house, you can save between a range of £1,200 to £1,300 for a LPG fuel replaced, £1,400 to £1,500 for an electricity fuel replaced, £600 to £700 for an oil fuel replaced and finally, £200 to £300 for a solid fuel replaced.

Biomass boilers can be designed to work with other kinds of heating. The most common of these is solar thermal. This is a popular renewable energy pairing. Solar thermal heating will meet your hot water needs during the summer while a biomass boiler can operate as a backup during the winter when solar thermal panels do not perform as well.

If you’re considering installing ground source heat pump, it’s likely you’re also wondering just how deep it’ll go into the ground to be efficient. Well, the initial step to take while determining the ground source heat pump’s design is to research the different options available to reduce the space heating as well as hot water demand. To achieve this, there must be an accurate measurement of energy efficiency which is usually done by getting an Energy Performance Certificate ( EPC) . This is helpful as such that it helps to identify the most suitable or the right size of heat pumps which will help reduce the consumption of energy, heat loss as well as hot water needs of the house.

Generally, ground source heat pumps are usually more compatible with new builds against retrofits. What’s more? The heat pump has two different types of loop systems :

✓ The open loop system and;

✓ The closed loop system.

The open loop system absorbs water from the ground and transfers this ground water via a heat pump to where it carries out the extraction of heat. Meanwhile the closed loop system extracts heat from the ground and incorporates a continuous loop of piping that’s linked to the indoor heat pump. There are a few types of closed loop system, these includes:

✓ The Horizontal Ground Source Heat Pump. This is installed in horizontal trenches of about 1 to 2 metres deep. This is more common in areas where land is readily available.

✓ The Vertical Ground Source Heat Pump. These boreholes are a more costly option but it’s also the best option when land is not readily available for horizontal installation. The insulation hole is dug at a minimum of 6 metres into the ground, while the entire piping will be at a depth of about 50 to 150 metres based on your home’s heat requirements as well as the ground’s composition.

Whether solar panel batteries are worth it depends on how much you’re at home and how big your solar panel system is. If you’re at home most of the day and your solar panels only generate enough electricity for you to use while for that day, then a battery probably isn’t worth investing in. However, if you have a large system that generates more than you can use or you’re out most of the day, then solar panel batteries are definitely worth it.

A solar battery storage system works by storing the electricity that your solar panels generated until you need to use it. That’s why they’re great for people that are out all day – your solar panels generate electricity all day whilst the sun’s out, but no one’s home so you’re using minimal energy except for things like your fridge and any appliances on standby. Most of the electricity charges your solar panel battery. Then, when you get home, your battery will discharge, and you’ll use all the solar electricity that your panels generated during the day.

Solar batteries are also excellent for people with large solar panel systems that generate more than they use in the day. Any electricity that you don’t use during the day will charge the battery, so in the evening when the sun goes down, you’ll just use the excess electricity that’s stored in the battery.

To work out whether solar panel batteries are worth it for you, you’ll need to work out how much of your solar electricity you’re using already. If you’re at home and you’re able to run your appliances all while your solar panels are generating electricity, a battery might not be worth it. Also, if you’re receiving export payments from the Feed-in Tariff Scheme (FITs) or the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), you might want to look at the rate you’re getting paid. If it’s a good rate, it might be more cost-effective to continue exporting unused electricity to the grid. Speak to an MCS-registered installer that will be able to help you work this out.

No, air source heat pumps aren’t particularly noisy. Most models make about the same amount of noise as a boiler or fridge. And don't forget, the unit itself is fitted to the outside of your property so you won't hear a thing when you're indoors or at nightime!