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Air source heat pumps do make a bit of noise. However, it’s the external unit that makes the noise, minimising disruption in your home. And while it’s a good idea to ensure your external unit isn’t located directly under your bedroom window or very close to a neighbour’s property, it won’t be louder than 40-60 decibels. In many cases, this is actually quieter than a fossil fuel-powered boiler.

Solar thermal panels work by capturing heat directly from the sun and using it to heat water. This hot water is then passed through a coil to heat the water for your central heating system. Solar thermal systems are compatible with many existing conventional boilers with hot water tanks, and can be set up to feed in to your existing heating system.

The more you’re at home during the day, the more you can save on your electricity bill, since solar panels generate electricity during the day. The Feed-in Tariff scheme (FITs) ended in March 2019, but the new Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) pays you, via your energy supplier, for the electricity you export back to the grid. With the savings involved in generating your own electricity and SEG payments, you can expect to save up to £390 per year on your electricity bill.

There are two different types: flat plate, where lots of thin tubes carry water through a flat absorber panel, and evacuated tube, where vacuum glass tubes capture the sun’s energy directly. There is little difference in performance between the two but evacuated tube panels do more obviously extrude from the roof.

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.

When people think about heat pumps, they’ll automatically have the believe that a swimming pool will require a big heat pump. Since the swimming pool has a large volume of water, then warming such a volume will require a large ground source heat pump because that volume is much larger than the normal domestic hot water tank, right? Well, that point of reasoning does seem logical especially with the information almost everywhere that ground source heat pumps are usually less efficient when it comes to heating hot water for home’s use. However, the fact is there are also some things to put into consideration that also works in favour of the ground source heat pump.

First and foremost, you should know your domestic hot water will typically be heated to a much higher temperature when compared to your swimming pool. Since you wouldn’t be using the water to disinfect your bathroom or doing your dishes in your swimming pool, then the temperature can be much lower. In fact, it’s much more comfortable and enjoyable to heat to a typical “swimming pool temperature than having it at a hot bath temperature. If you’ve ever wandered into a really hot swimming pool, you wouldn’t need any introduction to the painful discomfort that comes next.

As a result of this low temperature, your “tiny heat pump can operate a in a more efficient way which makes the use of ground source heat pumps a viable swimming pool heating option. What’s more? The ground source heat pump works for a swimming pool just like any any other application - moving the heat from the region of a warmer temperature to the cooler temperature region.

How Many Solar Panels And Batteries Do I Need?

Are you presently considering adding a solar system to your home? With several homeowners in the UK using solar now, many more are realizing the numerous benefits they stand to derive by getting one. Therefore, if you’re thinking about adding the system to your home but do not know where to start, you’ve come to the right place.

Here, we’ll help you calculate the number of solar panels and batteries you’ll need to power your home. Starting from the panels, you can begin by taken into account everything that makes use of power in your home to get a good idea of how many you’ll need.

• Firstly, you’ll have to determine the number of watts you use. Simply go through your utility bill for kilowatt-hours (kWh). This varies amongst homes and being able to identify your daily average energy usage will assist you in getting your solar needs.

• Secondly, you have to determine the peak sunlight hours - having in mind that the solar panels only work when under direct sunlight. Once determined, you can then multiply the figure in hours by your home’s hourly energy usage and divide by your selected solar panel’s wattage.

Generally for a 1500 square foot house, you might need around 15 to 18 solar panels to cover the house’s electricity.

Meanwhile for batteries, there are also some factors to be considered to determine the number of batteries you’ll need for your house. These factors include your home’s power or electricity usage, the period of time in which the battery will be used as well as the battery’ specifications. Once done, you’ll be able to calculate the number of batteries required by your home.