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No, air source heat pumps aren’t particularly noisy. Most models make about the same amount of noise as a boiler or fridge. And don't forget, the unit itself is fitted to the outside of your property so you won't hear a thing when you're indoors or at nightime!

The bigger the ground source heat pump, the better right? Wrong! And you’ll definitely be sorry to make such a huge mistake. When planning to install a heat pump, determining the size of the ground source heat pump is not as direct and straightforward as many homeowners would think. Here, you’ve got only a small margin for error. When the pump is too small, the heat pump will make use of the backup heater too often and in the event whereby the heat pump is too big, it’s going to short cycle. Both situations are preferably avoided as they’ll both leave you with an expensive and inefficient system.

To get the accurate size of a heat pump, there’s usually the need to hire the services of an expert and licensed heat pump installer who possesses a top notch design calculation software. In reality, the majority of inefficient systems are caused by a lack or poor understanding of the suitable design software.

There are many factors that can influence the calculation of a home’s heat pumps size. These includes

✓ Radiators and underfloor heating sizes

✓ Insulation, property fabric as well as heat loss

✓ The number of rooms in the property

✓ The types of rooms and their uses.

✓ The desired indoor temperature for varying rooms

✓ Seasonal temperature fluctuations.

Generally, a bigger house will require a bigger ground source heat pump. With an eye on the age of the property, heat loss as well as the types of the rooms, a house of about 100 square metre can require up to 4kW ground source heat pump. And for a house that’s about 200 square metre, the ground source heat pump also doubles to 8kW.

Tesla’s top-of-the-range battery storage system is still one of the most expensive on the market. It has a huge 13.5kWh usable capacity and can even keep you up and running during a power cut. But how long does a Tesla Powerwall battery last? And does this mean it’s worth investing in one?

The Tesla Powerwall 2.0 comes with a 10-year warranty. But Tesla says that it should last way beyond this – at least 5 years longer. The standard warranty says that it should work at 70% capacity for the full 10 years – so if it loses more than 30% of its storage capacity within that time, it should still be covered.

While the Tesla Powerwall does last a long time, it has a large capacity that most average households won’t require, and it’s a costly option. After installation, the Powerwall 2.0 will set you back between £6,500 and £9,000, so ideally you want it to last past its 10-year warranty.

Before you splash out, consider the size of the solar panel system you want to install or you already have. Will it generate enough electricity to make it worth storing in the Powerwall? If not, are you expecting to upgrade your solar panels to a larger system in the future? If you are, then it might be worth investing in a Powerwall. It might also be better to wait until you come to upgrade your solar panels – the solar battery price trend is going the same way as solar panels, so they will probably continue to decrease in price as more people adopt the technology.

In a similar way to other major home improvement projects, some specific requirements must be met to allow for the installation of solar panels. The main reason why these standards and regulations were established is to minimize the risk of the solar system becoming an issue or potential hazard in the unforeseeable future. So if you’re thinking about buying and fitting new solar panels, you’ll probably want to know whether or not you’ll require to submit a planning permission application for approval before you can proceed.

Generally, solar panels are covered under what’s called “Permitted Development” which gives you the freedom to install your solar panels without having to apply for a planning permission. However, there are some exceptions to this rule. These exceptions include if your house is a listed building or if your house is located within a conservation area. In these exceptional cases, it’s possible that you’ll need to apply for a planning permission, but this will largely depend on the discretion of your Local Planning Authority. What’s more? Solar panels are usually subjected to normal building regulations which includes examining the roof to make sure that it can support the additional weight. You can call in a MCS certified installer to carry out this check for you.

In order to install your solar PV on your roof, you must follow these guidelines:

✓ Your solar panels shouldn’t go beyond the highest point of the roof (excluding chimneys).

✓ The solar panels shouldn’t project beyond 200mm off the roof’s edge.

✓ The solar panels should be removed once they’re no longer used to produce electricity

✓ The solar panels should be installed such that the area and building’s appearance change is minimized.

Air source heat pumps work by absorbing heat from the outside air and transferring it inside to heat up your property.

An air source heat pump has an outdoor unit containing a refrigerant. This absorbs heat from the air and passes into a compressor, where the temperature is increased. The heat then transfers either into water, which feeds into your wet heating system, or into air, which is dispersed around your property.

Air source heat pumps need electricity to run, but this is to power the compressor rather than directly generate heat.

Whether solar panel batteries are worth it depends on how much you’re at home and how big your solar panel system is. If you’re at home most of the day and your solar panels only generate enough electricity for you to use while for that day, then a battery probably isn’t worth investing in. However, if you have a large system that generates more than you can use or you’re out most of the day, then solar panel batteries are definitely worth it.

A solar battery storage system works by storing the electricity that your solar panels generated until you need to use it. That’s why they’re great for people that are out all day – your solar panels generate electricity all day whilst the sun’s out, but no one’s home so you’re using minimal energy except for things like your fridge and any appliances on standby. Most of the electricity charges your solar panel battery. Then, when you get home, your battery will discharge, and you’ll use all the solar electricity that your panels generated during the day.

Solar batteries are also excellent for people with large solar panel systems that generate more than they use in the day. Any electricity that you don’t use during the day will charge the battery, so in the evening when the sun goes down, you’ll just use the excess electricity that’s stored in the battery.

To work out whether solar panel batteries are worth it for you, you’ll need to work out how much of your solar electricity you’re using already. If you’re at home and you’re able to run your appliances all while your solar panels are generating electricity, a battery might not be worth it. Also, if you’re receiving export payments from the Feed-in Tariff Scheme (FITs) or the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), you might want to look at the rate you’re getting paid. If it’s a good rate, it might be more cost-effective to continue exporting unused electricity to the grid. Speak to an MCS-registered installer that will be able to help you work this out.

If you’re looking to install some new solar panels in your home or property, then you’d probably want to know how it works. This is one of the most frequent questions asked by homeowners when it comes to solar panels and in this article we aim to give you a good insight on the operations of solar panels. Let’s have a look!

Generally, solar panels work by absorbing the energy of the sun and then converting it into electricity. It functions by allowing photons from the rays of the sun release the electrons free from atoms within the photovoltaic or solar cells in order to produce a flow of electricity. There are several solar cells that are connected together ( usually 60 or 72 ) in each panel. Individual cells comprises both a negative layer and a positive one which combines perfectly to create an electrical field in which the energy is generated.

The boron that’s within the bottom layer generates the positive charge, while the phosphorous found in the silicon layer produces the negative charge. In order to convert the sun’s rays into the energy that’s going to be transported from the panels to the inverter, the two field will interact with one another.

In other words, solar panels work by turning photons from the sunlight into direct current which is transmitted to the inverter. Once it gets to the inverter, it’s then translated to alternating current and send this current to to your electric box which powers the entire home. If you do not wish to reduce the high bills that’s associated with renting power from the grid, the solar energy system is an efficient and affordable way to achieve this aim.

If you’re thinking about installing a solar thermal system in your house, it’s always important to put into consideration numerous factors before you proceed. While some solar thermal systems are suitable for use at home, there are also some that are suitable for businesses or organizations which normally requires a big amount of hot water like hotels, restaurants, schools, hospitals and many more. You’ll also find some types available in the market that are suitable for communities to satisfy communal hot water demands.

It should, however, be noted that solar thermal systems do not have the capacity to produce all the hot water demand of a house. In the UK, an average household will need an annual water heating of between 3000kWh to 5000kWh. Whereas, a solar thermal system is only able to meet about 40 percent to 60 percent of this demand.

With that in mind, it’s also worth noting that during the summer months when the solar radiation is at its peak and hot water demand is relatively lower when compared to other seasons, a solar thermal system may be able to provide all of your household’s hot water needs. This implies that during this period you may not find the need to operate your boiler at all. However, during winter or colder months, when you have a higher hot water demands in contrary to a lower solar radiation, a solar thermal system will only be able to take care of about 20 percent of your household’s hot water needs. And that ultimately implies that during this period, you’ll need to rely more on a alternative or backup source of heat like gas, coal, electricity, oil or LPG.