Solar thermal – try before you decry

It is generally accepted that solar thermal can provide 40-70% of the annual domestic hot water load and commercially this technology should be considered wherever the hot water supply requirement is appreciable.

I had a 20-tube Thermomax array installed three years ago on the south-facing roof of my house and was surprised just how effective it is. Unless the sky is totally overcast we are likely to be getting approaching 40ºC from the collector and our boiler has been turned off during the past two summers.

In other, more energy conscious countries, solar thermal is a standard part of a heating system and this should become the case in the UK if we are serious about addressing climate change.

I am not dismissing other low-carbon or carbon-neutral technologies, as one of the great strengths of renewables is the diversity – when the wind is not blowing, the sun is shining. The UK needs to take renewables and energy efficiency much more seriously and act with far greater urgency.

Brian Edwards MCIBSE, via email