Optimistic
You mentioned in a previous mail you had issues with Solar panels. Were they flat or Tubular and why would you not recommend them.
I am at the building stage and had given the WPB and solar panel option serious consideration
Hi. We have 8 sq mtrs of flat plate installed on a south facing roof at 40 degree pitch, for two of us in the house and we are hot high DHW users. It is heating a 800 ltr buffer tank. We obviously did not have the heating on for the summer, so solar was contributing to DHW needs only.
I am told and the research that is done says that tubes are about 15% more efficient that flat. They cost more and need maintenance when they loose vacum etc, can break if hit. Though I think there are systems coming out now that are better.
We were going with oil and solar to begin with, and thus installed solar. We decided to go with WPB (I had researched it all at least 12 mths before the grants came on) and drop the oil, when the grants came in. A couple of people advised/recommended that we make provision for solar and install later if not happy with WPB. But with what we heard about how good solar was we decided to go ahead with it anyway. A decision we now regret.
I have met several people that have solar installed and they are not to impressed with it's contribution. Of course it does not make me happy to admit that we spent money on something that is not operating. I also met a plumber at a trade counter and happend to get talking with him. He says that solar will never pay for itself. Heatpumps and WPB are ok in his opinion. I tend to agree.
We get most solar gain in summer time (well bar the summer of 2007!!) How much does it cost to heat DHW for our summer months? Heating is the higher bill and not DHW requirements, in my opinion. So we spend, in my situation, as I missed the grant, 5500 euros plus the solar tank to save what is the smaller bill.
The hotest water we got from solar was 51 degrees C. Unless there is something wrong with our system and I have contacted our supplier/fitter without much success so far to check to see if there is something wrong with our system, but he will not return or accept my call.
Compare this with wood pellets. I cannot give exact figures for what our DHW heating bill would be with pellets, but I do think it would be small.
In hind sight (wonderful thing to have) what would we do? We would install WPB no doubt as I see the savings to be made there. In a new build especially, one has to install a heating system anyway. oil will cost 1500 plus, incl tank and base conservatively, add this to the grant which I think had been decreased now and I think that a good pellet boiler becomes more attractive again. One cannot incl the cost of controls as they are also needed for oil. We have had no problem in getting pellets bulk, though it was a bit tight last winter. This year is ok.
I hope the above makes sense as I don't think I explain myself great writing, but if there are any questions, please ask. I do not sell WPB by the way. Optimistic