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Good idea. Apply [broken link removed]- You'll need an EN50438 cert for the inverter as well.

Electric Ireland has announced on its website that for houses installing solar or other microgeneration after 31st December, they will no longer buy the surplus electricity from them. This is daft- the 9c export tariff offered so far was already one of the worst in Europe. You will be...

It doesn't have to be either/or. I have seen lots of houses use geothermal to heat the house in winter, and solar for the hot water in summer. A well installed geothermal system has a lower cost per KwHr than oil or gas, but probably not as low as pellets. Though pellet storage has caused some...

Most companies in the business will do that for free. The survey should be done using a reputable software, not somebody's excel spreadsheet. PM me if you can't find someone you trust.

Yes - yours is one of the few cases in Ireland where solar PV may be viable. I would start by fitting something like an OWL energy monitor and see what your baseload is (roughly the lowest amount you use at any one time). You could estimate the size of system needed to meet that baseload as a...

Not really. If you want to use solar PV to generate electricity, there are numerous computer simulations out there that can take in roof angle, panel type, inverter type etc., and tell you your expected yield. They're quite accurate. It is a very mature industry with investers installing 5...

Mixing up two types of panels here. The ones you are seeing on a field scale in the UK and elsewhere are for generating electricity. They work because they are supported by incentives. Here there are none. So unless you can use all of the power produced, (e.g. a supermarket with a lot of...

It isn't taxpayers money. There is a tiny levy on retail electricity prices to pay the so-called subsidy. In the UK there is a very generous (in fact too generous) subsidy. This was originally 45p, but as the industry grew and prices dropped, the feed in tariff fell, and is now 16p...

Depends on whether some hot water is used, or whether the probe is at the bottom of the cylinder. If you use hot water immediately after sundown and lower the temperature at the bottom of the cylinder, the pump may not then kick in, or may kick in sporadically. I think you are probably right...

Just wondering - are you sure your system isn't on HOLIDAY mode? This causes the pump to run at night to cool the cylinder...

Or maybe 30. But it all depends on your hot water usage, roof orientation and pitch, distance to cylinder etc. That's partly why a computer simulation based on your location, roof orientation and hot water requirements is a useful exercise.

I agree fully about the SEAI courses. I used to teach on one in CIT where we maintained high standards, but some of the private operators in the sector were poor enough. Caveat emptor applies everywhere, but SEAI approval is better than man-in-van who has no training at all, and if there are...

A twenty tube system is quite modest really. Does this include VAT? If you do it this way, you won't be eligible for the SEAI grant, so you might get a cheap system, but you have no comeback on the installer (who may point the finger at the hardware if something goes wrong). Generally, where a...

I'm no architect, but I would look for another builder personally. There are other ways of ensuring that the wall is the same width. How about timber frame for the extension for example?

Quite right. Nothing wrong with copper unless you have acidic water, or want to change to an unvented system (getting rid of the attic tank or to increase the pressure).

While you are at it, there is no harm in getting one with a spare coil for a solar panel. That way, if you ever do decide to get this done, it will be a very quick and easy job to do. The solar ones are sometimes better insulated as well. The water temperature in our cylinder generally only...

Dunno. Try Anglo Irish Bank?

Good instinct. The ONLY reason for a company to need you both there is to get both your signatures on a contract that you may want to wriggle out of later. We have had numerous complaints from people caught in this situation having signed for a €6000 system, only to find out the next day that...

If the pump is running on a socket, I would just use one of [broken link removed]. You can then use it to check other items such as fridges, freezer etc., to track down the hungry beast. I got one of these a few years back and within a week we had bought a new fridge. The old one was costing us...

Copper cylinders used to be a lot cheaper, but if you go above 200L, generally stainless are cheaper. So it depends on whether you are thinking of a 200L or a 300L cylinder. Also, you can only use copper with an open vented system (with attic tank). If you want an unvented system, it would...