If I fit solar panels to my roof...?

Question

will I get enough energy to heat my whole four bedroom house and water. Or will I still have to rely on a gas supplier?

Answer 1

mabye but it depends on how much energy you use

Answer 2

You could spend $75,000 on solar panels and it would still only cut your energy bill in half.  My brother just looked into this last week.

Answer 3

I'm assuming that you are speaking of solar water heating panels, NOT solar photovoltaic panels.

I don't think that rooftop solar panels will give you enough energy to heat your entire house.

If you fit your roof with solar water heating panels, then you could probably satisfy most or maybe all of your water heating needs.   If you are in the US, then there are tax breaks available for installing solar panels.  And solar water heating tends to pay for itself in a reasonable (5 to 15 year) time frame.  

I'm not sure how you would use this to heat your home, unfortunately.   One option might be to install a very very very large hot water tank, a heat pump that works off the hot water tank.  This would almost certainly be too expensive, and you might still have times when you needed to buy gas.   Or you could just heat your home with the hot water when it was available, but that would leave you very cold whenever it was dark out - usually the time when you need the most heating.

I would speak with an installer and ask them about your options.  

I've put two links below that might help you find a reliable local installer.  Give them a call and see what they say.

Good luck.

If you fit your roof with solar electric panels, then you would need a LOT of them

Answer 4

First of all you would need to ensure your house is well insulated (most modern houses arent well insulated and energy efficient)

Second you would need to look at how much water you use and how many hours of heating you want, and to what temperature too.

Third would be to research the type of panels available - places like the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) in Machynlleth, Wales, Uk have much info, also Permaculture Magazine has advertisers in there and both may offer courses on designing and building your own too.

Fourth would be to get various people to come out and do an assessment and give you a quote.

It wont necessarily work out cheaper, but at least you will know you arent adding to the problems of the planet by making this effort.  

By adding an extra layer of clothing, extra thick curtains at doors and windows, extra insulation in your loft etc you will reduce the amount of energy you need to heat your home and water.

Answer 5

it is depenent on many factors...

The size of your panel?

the size of your tank?

The size of your house etc

I would get  a company in to asses your needs and they can do the calculation.

You should also contact your local authority as you may be entitled to a grant for installation.

Answer 6

dont bother with it

you will never recover the installation cost

Wait a few more years and i bet all this kind of thing will be givernment subsidised.

Answer 7

Seamus is right and you should get a properly qualified person to do an enrgy audit and make recommendations. In addition to the things he mentioned you should also add:-

Insulation level of building,

Local climate,

Current energy consumption & projected pricing.

I do a lot of this for a living and sometimes you can have as much impact by adding extra insulation or making changes to reduce cooling demand etc. Here in Ireland Solar Domestic Hot Water systems typically pay for themselves in less than 5 years at current and projected fuel costs.

Answer 8

I'd follow rivergirl's links to find a good expert in solar installation. You really want this to look good and many "handy man" types don't know enough about solar yet. I agree that payback can be slow and that waiting a few years might be better for many people. I'd first get an energy audit and fix every problem they find. The solar hot water system is good ... even today. As mentioned elsewhere, heating water is generally a different system than providing electricity for a home.

When assessing cost, it is probably worth asking which might provide more value to you over a 25 year period ... an expensive solar system that will not increase in price even though your local power company will raise your regular electric bill ... or an SUV that costs as much as a small starter solar system to purchase and cost $75-125 to fill up each week and needs constant tune-ups and check ups?

Also, when you sell your SUV 25 years from now ... ha ... what will it be worth? How many riding lawn lowers will you buy and discard in 25 years? Your solar system should add significantly to your re-sale price.