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Having access to a ready supply of green energy should mean that heating your home with electric radiators shouldn’t cost the earth!
Using solar gives some homes the potential to generate enough carbon neutral power for their heating needs for most of the year.
A 5kW solar array will usually be suitable for an average 3-bedroom homes, however, this can vary depending on the type of property and its location.
Experts suggest that in certain parts of the UK a 5kW Solar Array can generate up to 20kW hours of electricity on a sunny summer day. Including an inverter and storage battery in your solar package means you can store the power you generate for when you need it and, if you prefer, use to run other electrical devices if you don’t require any heating.
The average 3-bedroom house could normally require electric radiators with a capacity of anywhere between 6 and 8KW.
Thermostatically controlled heaters – like the ELKATHERM® range – once they have got a room to the required temperature should only be on for 20 minutes at a time every hour to top-up or regulate the temperature in a well-insulated property.
It is also unlikely that every radiator would be on and heating the home at the same time. For example - Bedroom radiators may only be programmed to run for an hour before getting up and an hour before going to bed.
Based on an assumption that all radiators were on at once and that they are only drawing power for 20 minutes in each hour, they should only use the following power for each of the following time periods:
So having an effective Solar Array can power your electric radiators.
Sadly, this doesn’t mean you would never have to pay for you heating again. There will be occasions where you’ll still have to rely on the electricity grid to run your heating the old-fashioned way because your Solar Panels won’t be working in optimal conditions. The location and positioning of your home can impact how much power you’re able to produce.
However, including a storage battery in your solar package may also enable you to buy electricity from the Grid on a lower rate tariff during the night and then use it later to power your heating and / or other electrical appliances.
Its worth noting that some properties, especially older properties, may not be so well insulated and lose heat more quickly – meaning heating may need to work harder and use more power. But these are all things you can discuss during a home survey. They’ll be able to make recommendations to suit your property and make sure it’s maximising its full potential.
If you’re using electric heating in your home, you might also want to upgrade the way you heat your water. A lot of homes have immersion heaters, however, there are now more efficient ways to have mains pressure hot water throughout your home. Sunamp Thermino batteries are a thermal energy storage solution that replaces traditional hot water cylinders – they can work direct from the grid electricity and / or us energy produced by your solar PV system.
They are up to four times smaller than the equivalent hot water tank and their sleek, super-compact design means they can free-up valuable storage space. With a market-leading 10-year warranty on the heating element and requiring no mandatory annual maintenance they make homes more energy efficient and sustainable by efficiently storing heat to deliver hot water when needed while reducing carbon emissions.
Sunamp say that their analysis based on today’s fuel costs has shown that householders can expect to save as much as 1000kW hours per year, equivalent to cutting electricity bills by £250 a year at today’s prices by using a Thermino Battery instead of a traditional direct hot water cylinder.
So having an effective Solar Array can power your electric radiators, heat your water and help run all your other electric appliances.
The first step to making the most of producing your own carbon neutral power is getting your property assessed by an installer who can offer you a complete and sustainable energy solution – solar panels, inverter, battery, electric radiators, and water heat batteries – click here and make that step.
