2018 > March

There are a number of ways you can generate your own energy at home from low or zero carbon ‘micro generation’ technology. Making your own energy, instead of using mains gas and electricity, will reduce your carbon footprint.

Solar panels

Solar panels harness the power of sunlight to heat your home and hot water. An in-house display will allow you to see when energy is being generated, enabling you to make the most of the free power – for example, by running your washing machine at these times. Any extra energy you generate but don’t use will be sent to the National Grid, which you’ll get paid for. But there are a lot of factors to consider, such as the cost of the installation, and whether your home is in the best position to harness the power of sunlight. Solar thermal panels generate heat. Solar photovoltaics (PV) generate electricity.

Wood-burning stoves

Wood-burning stoves aren’t cheap to install, but the heat a stove generates can mean you don’t have to turn on your central heating. You can use a stove to heat just one room, such as the room you use most. Alternatively, you can get one installed with a ‘back boiler’, which means the heat it creates will heat your whole home.

Heat pumps

Unlike other heating systems that burn fuel to create heat, air source heat pumps and ground source heat pumps use naturally occurring warm air or heat in the ground to create power and heat your home. They will need an electricity source to work, but are said to cost less to run than a traditional heating system.

For any assistance you can contcat usthrou website- www.versolgroup.com or email- mail@versol.pl

The boiler is one of the most intensively used household / industrial appliances, but unless the heating suddenly stops working or your water won’t warm up, faults can go unnoticed. A boiler breakdown can be frustrating and costly, especially if you’re in the middle of winter. But certain failures can also be a danger to you if not spotted in time. Regular maintenance should help keep your boiler running smoothly. But, like most machines, unexpected issues can always crop up. When they do, unless you’re a gas engineer, it’s not always easy to know when to take action.

1)   RADIATORS TAKE LONGER TO HEAT UP

Do your radiators stay tepid or take hours to get hot? This could mean that your boiler is on its way out. Most modern boilers can reach their maximum temperature quickly and produce heat almost instantly. But it could also mean your heating system is filled with sludge – this causes blockages and cold spots on your radiators. Dirty water circulating in the system could result in long-term problems with your boiler.

2)   THE BOILER IS GIVING OFF A BAD SMELL

A healthy boiler will never emit any odour. If it does, it needs to be investigated by a professional right away. Any faint smells could indicate a carbon monoxide leak. Although carbon monoxide itself is odourless, a smell could be created because the leak is causing the boiler to not burn properly.

·        Other carbon monoxide warning signs that shouldn’t be ignored include:

·        The boiler is burning a yellow flame instead of a crisp blue flame

·        Dark soot staining on and around the appliance

·        Pilot light that frequently blows out

·        Increased condensation inside windows.

3)   YOUR ENERGY BILLS ARE INCREASING

If your bills are increasing faster than normal, it could be down to an inefficient boiler. As a heating system gets older, it can lose its efficiency and start to cost more to run. An easy way to check your boiler’s efficiency is to look at the rating on its ErP energy label. An  A-rated boiler is the most efficient, at 90%, while a G rating represents less than 70% efficiency. If you replace an old G-rated boiler with a modern A-rated boiler that has a full set of heating controls, the Energy Saving Trust estimates you’ll save around £320 a year on your gas bill.

It’s the most efficient type of boiler on the market – find out more in our guide to switch to condensing boilers and Heat Pumps.

4)   YOUR BOILER IS LEAKING

When unexpected puddles appear around your boiler, you should take action. Internal parts may be faulty or your boiler could actually be starting to fall apart. leak can lead to further problems, such as rust and corrosion, as well as structural damage to your home. It will also mean that your heating will be inefficient. Think of the wasted water, too.

5)   YOUR BOILER IS MAKING FUNNY NOISES

Your boiler will make a noise when firing up, but this should be no more than a low and constant hum that most of us won’t even notice. But banging, clunking and whirring are the sounds you don’t want to be hearing. These could indicate a number of issues, from a broken valve to heat pump problems. Or, it could just be down to general wear and tear.

Solar energy is one of the widely used renewable energy that can be harnessed either by directly deriving energy from sunlight or indirectly. Solar water heating system, on the other hand, is one of the applications of solar energy that has drawn great attention among researchers in this field.

Solar collectors, storage tanks and heat transfer fluids are the three core components in solar water heater applications. The latest developments and advancement of a solar water heater based on the three basic components that may affect the thermal performance of the system. VERSOL reviews the development of various types of solar collectors in solar water heater, including both the non-concentrating collectors (flat plate collector, evacuated tube collector) and the concentrating collectors (parabolic dish reflector, parabolic trough collector). All these are studied in terms of optical optimization, heat loss reduction, heat recuperation enhancement and different sun tracking mechanisms. Among the non-concentrating and concentrating collectors, theparabolic dish reflector collectors show the best overall performance. The use of nanofluids as a heat transfer fluid was also discovered as part of continuous develpoment of VERSOL products. Youcan visit our website for more details.

In the right location, a centralized hot water system using boilers, solar or a heat pump can offer both improved efficiency and increased energy savings when compared to the standard tank-style water heaters. How do these systems work and are the right for your home? Let’s take a closer look.

Boilers and Solar Heating Systems

A boiler system is self-explanatory as a heat source is used to increase the temperature of the water, keeping it at a pre-determined setting. A solar system acts much in the same way only the sun is the heat source and it may take much longer for the water to reach the desired temperature as compared to a boiler.

How a Heat Pump Works

A heat pump is more complicated as it has three basic components: an evaporator, a compressor, and a condenser. The way these components work together is that liquid refrigerant is exposed to room-temperature air in the heat pump’s evaporator coil. The refrigerant then picks up energy from the room air, and becomes a gas within the evaporator coil. The refrigerant enters the compressor pump, which compresses the gas and increases its temperature. The heated refrigerant then runs through a condenser and gives up its heat to the colder water bringing it up to the predetermined temperature. Although that sounds like a complicated system, it is very efficient and requires very little maintenance.

Heat Loss

There is some heat loss with any hot water system and, while some systems are more effective at retaining heat than others, this is an expected occurrence. Some factors which account for heat loss include the walls of the storage tank and how well they are insulated, the temperature of the room in which the centralized hot water system is housed and hot water usage frequency. Whichever heat source you use, be it solar, heat pump or boiler, it is important that the heat storage tank be well-insulated to minimize any heat loss and increase the efficiency and cost savings of the unit itself.