At the old house, we had a faithful hot water system which was solar with electrical backup. While it did the job in summer, we had to frequently use electricity backup to keep the hot water coming in winter or prolonged rainy weather. The bright sparks who built the place put the booster switch outside in the meter box so every time it needed to be turned on and off, someone had to go out and remember to do it. I remember a lot of cold showers as a result of that booster switch not being flicked on the night before.

Consequently, I was rather grateful to have a gas hot water system here. No more running out in my PJs or dressing gown to flip a switch and having to wait for ages until it warmed up. No more cold showers. But since we weren’t needing the roof space for a solar hot water system, we figured we might as well put some solar PV panels up there instead.

Solar technology isn’t exactly new but it’s not exactly common either, probably due to the cost of a decent sized system. The government has been running grants to get more people on the solar bandwagon which might increase its popularity. The size system we have is large enough to offset our power usage entirely and on a fairly clear sunny day, we are feeding excess back into the grid. Essentially it will mean a negative power bill – it’s a win for us and a win for the environment. The only downside is that when it gets incredibly hot, the panels aren’t as efficient even if they are still in direct sunlight. Of course, if it is very overcast, they won’t produce as much either.

It was one of the first things we had done after handover in late September but today has been the first day I’ve popped out to see the finished product glittering in the afternoon sun. The entire process only took two weeks from quote to installation. In terms of customer service, I can’t recommend Infinity Solar highly enough – they are certainly one of the most efficient businesses we have been involved with recently. It’s not exactly cheap to get done but even a basic system such as those funded by the grant will help offset your power bill. It’s certainly a worthwhile investment in my eyes and I would love to see it become more mainstream.

January 15th, 2010 | Category: Home and Lifestyle |  Print This Post |  Email This Post | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL