Things to Check Before Getting Solar Panels

As solar panels become more affordable through mass production and technological advancements more and more private properties are getting solar photovoltics in order to reduce their energy cost.  The 5 year outlook for energy prices expected to rise a further 30%, solar energy could become much more beneficial than it previously. Below are some things to check before getting Solar panels.

 First of all you should check whether your property is ideal for solar energy, you would think that this was very obvious but you would be surprised how many people do not really check if their property is ideal for solar energy or any other alternative energy sources. The Ideal property will have a large section of roof that is south facing.  The roof should be at least 5m by 5m in size and should not be shaded by other properties or trees. Using newer units it may be possible to install solar panels on a east or west facing roof, though the total power output will be reduced.

 One other important factor people do not normally check is the regulation of the local planning department. Please always check with local planning department, council or authorities before contacting a solar panel provider. There are many different regulations that can affect the size, shape and style of the solar PV you can use on your roof. Some of the common issues are with grade listed buildings or buildings with historical significance. These properties are normally very difficult to get planning permission to change the exterior of the building. There are new designs that aim to integrate solar panels into a building façade to get around some local councils building regulations.

 After all of that is done, most of the hard work is complete. The next part is to research some solar energy providers and potentially get quotes. In order to assess the quality of any solar panel providers they should have some previous customer you can contact and possibly go to check out the installation for yourself. When you have decided a price and timescale for the installation never pay for the work in advance and make sure that you are happy with the end product before completing the payments. Another good tip is to get the solar panel company to estimate the electricity production before the installation and check it after the installation. Normally an estimation of the electric production should be a conservative estimate or the max production please ask to confirm.

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For any further details on Solar Panels in Mid Wales or any other alternative energy solutions, please visit http://www.wdsgreenenergy.co.uk

SEDBUK Energy Efficiency Ratings

There must be an agency for Government names as the ever increasing range of titles seem at times to defy description. One of the more recent which applies to the boiler industry is the SEDBUK rating system. The SEDBUK rating was developed by the UK Government from the energy efficiency and best practice programme. It was carried out with advice from all quarters and the boiler industry contributed fully to the final system. It is meant to provide a comparison between different models of boilers and by definition different manufacurers. The Government's aim was to highlight the inefficient boilers and make sure that the boiler manufacturers progressed to the highest level of efficiency.

SEDBUK stands for the "Seasonal Efficiency of a Domestic Boiler in the UK" and has very quickly become the standard which is quoted throughout the industry. The ratings start as follows:

Band A 90% and above 
Band B 86% to 90% 
Band C 82% to 86% 
Band D 78% to 82% 
Band E 74% to 78% 
Band F 70% to 74% 
Band G 70% and below

It is obvious that the industry cannot afford to sell boilers at the lower level and the development of greater efficient boilers has become a major priority. The best boilers both from the light commercial boilers to the domestic condensing central heating boilers are now achieving the Band A levels of efficiency.

The SEDBUK rating has changed its calculation parameters at various times but is now firmly established on set parameters. The basic work was to get a fair system that took account of the variations that naturally occur in the boiler operating systems. SEDBUK is the average annual efficiency achieved in typical domestic situations and takes into account sensible assumptions about climate, control, pattern of usage and other influences. It is calculated from laboratory tests together with other important items such as boiler type, ignition arrangement, internal store size, fuel used and knowledge of the UK climate and typical domestic usage patterns.

Estimating fuel costs is better using the SEDBUK standard than standard laboratory tests alone. It can be applied to most gas and oil domestic boilers for which data is available from tests carried out to the relevant European standards. The rating system applies to all condensing boiler systems and this is now the bulk of all boiler systems as since the 1st April 2005 all replacement boilers must be of the condensing boiler system with very few exceptions.

Providing quality, reliable and highly efficient commercial and domestic boilers for over 45 years. Alpha boilers are SEDBUK Band 'A' rated - the highest possible energy efficiency rating. Our highest efficiency boiler of all, the SolarSmart range, provides hot water to your home through solar power alone, removing the reliance on gas power. Save money and the environment with a high efficiency boiler from Alpha Innovation.

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