Installing Grant solar collectors is a clean and highly efficient way of using renewable energy from sunlight to provide hot water for your home, while also reducing your fuel bills and the building’s carbon footprint. The panels operate with both direct and diffused sunlight, meaning they will even work on cloudy days.
In these times of rapidly escalating energy costs and climate change regulations, there are many reasons to choose a solar thermal system when considering how to meet your hot water requirements in the most energy and cost-efficient ways possible.
Free energy
Many people believe that solar panels only work in the summer, however this type of energy is available throughout the year. From May to September Grant Solar can produce 100% of the energy required for heating your domestic hot water providing (on average), up to 70% of your hot water needs per year.
Easily integrated with conventional heating systems
Grant Solar Thermal Systems are compatible with gas, oil and renewable heating systems.
How does a Grant Solar Thermal System work?
The solar thermal system works by collecting the sun’s energy through the high efficiency Sahara flat plates and transferring this energy into your heating’s hot water system.
Grant uses a patented system where the heat transfer sheet interlocks both the pipe and the absorber for perfect thermal transfer. Additional aluminium plates enclose the copper absorber pipes and these plates, combined with an industrial strength adhesive, result in 3600 heat transfer.
Supplied in kit form, the solar thermal systems are relatively easy for installers to select and order. Depending on the size of the installation, each kit contains the number of Sahara flat plate collectors that are needed, a roof-mounting system, expansion vessel, pump station controller, pipe connections and solar fluid.
Installation usually takes a couple of days with collection plates mounted on-roof, in-roof or flat roof in either portrait or landscape format.
Our system delivers 82.6% collector efficiency, it is Solar Key Mark approved and our panels which are made using 4mm self-cleaning glass for easy maintenance, come with a 5 year guarantee.
Considerations when specifying a system
Our team of technical specialists can help you specify the most efficient system for your home. When choosing a solar thermal system there are several factors our team must consider:
- Roof type
Almost any roof type is suitable, however a south facing arrangement could gain 100% of the light available during the day. If the roof was to face south-east or south-west, there will be a reduction in yield by 5-10%.
- Angle of inclination (roof)
- Shading of collector panels
- Collector panel array m2
Our solar collectors have an absorber (or nett) area of 2.14m2. As a rule of thumb, when sizing a system, you should allow 1.0-1.3m2 of nett collector area per person
- Hot water requirements and size of hot water cylinder
Cylinder requirements are 50-60 litres capacity per m2 of nett collector area. Eg: For a 2-collector system of 2x2.14 = 4.28m2, you would require a cylinder of approximately 200-250 litres. This should be sufficient for 4 people and satisfy up to 70% of your hot water demand per annum.
- Pipework requirements
Read more about our solar thermal system: Grant
