Solar Water Heating on a

Domestic Dwelling House

(Evacuated Tube System)

House Orientation

Location
The house is located in Ballyclare, Co
Antrim and is an urban detached house
with 4 occupants.
Potential Users
Most dwelling house types in the
province are suitable for solar water
heating with a need to heat Domestic
Hot Water. The house needs to have
the correct orientation between
East/West.
Project Cost
The total project cost was 3,016
(before grant) and included the 20
tube solar collector, the Controller,
new DHW tank, installation and 5%
VAT. This installation was funded by
both Clear Skies and NIE Solar Smart
(both now closed). The current level
of grant funding is 1,125 from the
Reconnect Household Fund.
Savings Achieved
The energy cost savings for the year
monitored were 165 based upon
displacing 28Sec heating oil in winter
and electricity in summer for the
imersion heater.
Environmental Benefits
The installation annually reduces CO2
emissions by 847kg based on offsetting
oil heating and electricity.

Payback Period
The simple payback period for the
project is currently 11.5 years.
Project Summary
The system involved the installation of
a 20 tube Thermomax evacuated tube
solar Water Heater, 2m2 in size. The
hot water tank installed was a 170
litre, twin coil vented tank with an
indirect primary circuit.
The expected yearly solar yield from a
south facing roof is 1455 kWhrs,
whereas the actual output in this case
was 1441 kWhrs. See graph below for
the monthly breakdown.

Equipment Provider & Supplier

Thermomax Limited
Willis Plumbing & Heating

Solar Water Heating on a

Domestic Dwelling House
(Evacuated Tube System)
Installation Details
The collector is located on the rear
roof at an orientation of 220o (40o West
of Due South) and at a slope of approx
52o. The area surrounding the house is
a relatively flat location and the
collector faces out into open fields
with no shading from trees or other
buildings. The installed system has 20
tubes, with an area of 2m2, a 170l hot
water tank and an indirect system with
an expansion vessel and pressure relief
valve. The system is fitted with a
Thermomax SMT400 Controller shown
below displaying information such as
kWh of heat generated, flow rate,
temperature differential and max
recorded
temperature.
The
Thermomax system consists of a
stainless steel manifold and stainless
steel support with solar collector
tubes. The condenser of the solar tube
fits inside the manifold, which carries
the heating fluid. There is a thick
polyurethane CFC free foam insulation
between the manifold and its cover.
The system is secured to the roof by
means of stainless steel fixing
brackets.

Monitoring & Savings

The actual heat monitoring was carried
out over a complete year by manually
taking the daily readings of heat
produced in kWhs from the Thermomax
SMT400 Controller. These results have
then been compared with the solar
radiation data from the Met Office
which shows a very good corellation in
the data collected.
The actual
environmental and financial savings
were calculated from the offsetting of
heating oil in winter, electricity in the
summer and a mixture of both in spring
and autumn.
Customer Satisfaction
The owners were motivated initially to
install solar water heating to help
reduce the family carbon emissions and
reliance on the usage of oil and
electricity. They are very happy with
the installation and the system has
performed
well
meeting
their
expectations and helping to shield
them from rising energy prices and
therefore saving them money.

Internal Installation

How it Works
The solar evacuated tube contains the
specially designed absorber and
condenser. The absorber plate, which
has a high efficiency coating to
maximise
radiation
absorption,
transfers its absorbed heat via the heat
pipe using an evaporating-condensing
cycle, with the process repeated
continuously as the condensed fluid
returns to its original position due to
gravity. The heat pipe is then coupled
to the condenser and connected to the
manifold where it efficiently transfers
this heat to the water circuit.