A month ago I installed solar water heating in my home. The installation was carried out by a reputable local firm called SARL Bernard DUS of Montauban.
The solar system was manufactured by German solar energy giant Schüco and carries a twenty-year warranty.
For us South Africans used to high annual inflation there are really no price increases to speak of in France. The French will certainly [dis]respectively disagree with my view on their economy.
The system cost €5,100-00 installed and the summer savings since installation amount to a paltry +/-€2-00 per week. On the face of it, somewhat depressing.
I am not deterred though as it is ‘early days’ in the Mas de Panis solar program. Electricity prices rose 2,5% last year and we are in for another 2,5% this year. The now replaced hot water cylinder was ancient, thermally inefficient, only had a 100 litre capacity and would have probably have given up the ghost soon. Any money saved amounts to a tax-free saving.
I am in this for the long haul and I shall write more about my solar water heating experience in time to come.
My type of solar heating system is eloquently explained in Wikipedia: Another type of solar water heater is the evacuated tube collector. It is usually mounted on a roof, and has a row of glass tubes containing heat conducting rods, typically copper. The rods act as heating elements in a circulating loop of antifreeze. The captured heat is transferred into the domestic hot water system by a heat exchanger. This design is smaller and more efficient than traditional flat plate collectors, and works well in very cold climates. The evacuated description refers to air having been removed from the glass tubes to create a vacuum. This results in very low heat loss, once the inside coating has absorbed solar radiation.
I look forward to hearing the views of my readers who presently have solar water heating systems.
