Solar Heating
The energy from the sun can be used to generate two types of power: electricity and heat. Solar collectors that collect the sun’s energy to transform into electricity are called ‘Photovoltaic’ and the Solar collectors that collect the sun’s energy to transform into heat is called ‘Solar thermal’ or ‘Solar heating’ and can be used to heat domestic hot water.
Vokèra offers Solar thermal solutions to provide Solar heating for the home. Advancements in Solar heating technology has meant that Solar collectors can now collect energy from the sun even on cloudy days, as they work using daylight as well as sunlight to provide Solar heating.
There are different types of Solar heating collectors to suit different applications, Vokèra offer the full range of collector types.
If you have a Solar thermal system installed into your property, you may be eligible for Grant Funding. One of the eligibility criteria for Grant Funding is the product installed must be MCS Approved. All Vokèra Solar thermal collectors have the MCS Approval. For more information on the eligibility criteria, you can visit the energy saving trust website.
Flat Plate Solar heating collectors
Flat plate collectors absorb the suns energy via a large single sheet of specially coated copper that is encased in an insulated protective frame. The copper absorber sheet is welded to copper pipes to transfer the energy absorbed into the copper sheet to the liquid that circulates in the copper pipes, which is then transferred to a water cylinder.
Flat plate collectors can be less expensive than Evacuated tubes and are more robust, however in certain circumstances, evacuated tubes can provide better efficiencies.
Solar heating collectors perform best when facing a south, south west or south easterly direction, if your roof is facing east/west, then you can still benefit from Solar thermal heating by having one collector positioned on the east side of your roof and the other on the west (this is known as a split system).
You can get flat plate collectors that sit on top of your roof tiles for a simple retrofit installation, or flat plate collectors that are inset into your roof tiles, which provides a more aesthetically pleasing finish.
The ideal angle of inclination of your roof should also be around 35-45 degrees to maximize the amount of energy the collector can absorb as it passes across the skyline, however, if your roof has an angle of inclination outside of the ideal 35-45 degrees, then the solution could be to have an Evacuated tube collector.
Evacuated Tube Solar thermal collectors
Evacuated tube collectors work in the same way that a flat plate collector works, except, instead of one single flat sheet of specially coated copper, evacuated tubes have a series of specially coated cylindrical copper absorber sheets, each inside a vacuumed glass tube. There are usually between 7-20 tubes in a collector depending on which brand you choose. The vacuumed tubes enable good retention of the absorbed energy, making the evacuated tube collector more efficient in some applications. The Evacuated tube collector can be installed in a wider range of applications, which also makes it a more flexible solution to maximise Solar heating.
| Model Name | Description | Overview |
|---|---|---|
| Zenith Solar Thermal | Flat Plate ‘On Tile’ Collector | This type of collector is mounted on top of your roof tiles. A simple solution for retrofit applications. MCS APPROVED |
| Zenith Solar Thermal | Flat Plate ‘Inset’ Collector | This type of collector is inset into your roof and provides a more aesthetically pleasing finish. MCS APPROVED |
| Zenith Solar Thermal | ‘Evacuated Tube’ Collector | This type of collector is mounted on top of your roof tiles and can achieve better efficiencies in certain circumstances due to its Vacuum Tube construction. MCS APPROVED |
