About Solar Hot Water installation

[Clair]

Hello

I've been looking into having a solar hot water system installed.

I know there are regional grants available from ANAH ANIL as well as the 5.5% VAT rate on purchase-and-install and the 50% tax rebate on the same.

Can anyone pass on any tips before I contact an installer?

I do not speak technicalese and would like to have some sort of understanding of our basic needs.

There are 2 of us, we live in the Lot (46), near the Cantal (15) at about 600m altitude and have a large south-facing, shallow-sloped roof.

We currently have a fairly new 175l tank heated on "off-peak" EDF tarrif.

Reading various website info sites, I am slightly confused about the following:

• do we need a separate tank for the solar-heated water, or if our existing tank can be used?
• how does the existing off-peak electric supply top up the solar-heated supply when the sunlight is reduced (winter)?
• do I apply for grants before or after the works?

Grateful for any help or advice...

Thanks in advance

[Benjamin]

Clair

I'm boosting this back to the top as I would also be very glad to see any answers to your questions.

Benjamin

[Gyn_Paul]

[quote user="Clair"]Hello

I've been looking into having a solar hot water system installed.

I know there are regional grants available from ANAH ANIL as well as the 5.5% VAT rate on purchase-and-install and the 50% tax rebate on the same.

Can anyone pass on any tips before I contact an installer?

I do not speak technicalese and would like to have some sort of understanding of our basic needs.

There are 2 of us, we live in the Lot (46), near the Cantal (15) at about 600m altitude and have a large south-facing, shallow-sloped roof.

We currently have a fairly new 175l tank heated on "off-peak" EDF tarrif.

Reading various website info sites, I am slightly confused about the following:

• do we need a separate tank for the solar-heated water, or if our existing tank can be used?
• how does the existing off-peak electric supply top up the solar-heated supply when the sunlight is reduced (winter)?
• do I apply for grants before or after the works?

Grateful for any help or advice...

Thanks in advance[/quote]

Well I'll take a stab at part of it...

There are two distinct types of solar heating:

Photovoltaic panels which change the sunlight directly into electrical energy, and solar-heated water panels, which do what they say on the tin.

The former are still comparatively expensive with a comparatively short life from the pv panels.You either use them to charge up batteries or convert it back up to 240v AC and use it in the house. However the switchgear required to achive this is horrendously expensive and here in France apparently the money you get for selling the excess back to EDF is so paltry as to hardly make it worthwhile doing.

To generate domestic hot water the latter is usually the favored choice. Most systems use some form of primary and secondary, just like the majority of central heating systems back in the UK. A volume of water (either sealed and under pressure or fed from/returned to a header tank) is pumped through the solar panels (collectors) to pick up heat (the primary). It then goes to the hot water tank where it flows through a coil passing on the heat to the water which will ultimately come out of the tap (the secondary). So the hot tap water and the water in the solar collector never mix.

So 'Yes' you will need a new tank (a Chauffeau mixte) which will also have the usual immerison element which will enable you to 'top up' the hot water when the sun doesn't shine that much.

Can't help you with the other bits I'm afraid

p.

[Catalpa]

Or your (new?) boiler delivers hot water on demand - boiler kicks in and heats the water as the tap is turned on.

Grants are applied for after the work and I believe are only available if you've had a registered heating company buy and install the kit. In other words, if you opt for a diy installation, you won't get the grant. Our heating co will provide the paperwork for us at the end of the project. The grants are, if our interpretation of the system is correct, in the form of tax credits although at the moment I'm not sure if this comes off the local taxes or is actually against tax paid on income.

Not all plumbers / heating companies truly understand alternative heating systems so make sure you find companies with a track record - looking at our system, I wouldn't have wanted to be a guinea pig for a local company to develop their skills. [:)]

[Deimos]

Try checking on ADEME’s web site http://www2.ademe.fr/servlet/getDoc?id=11433&m=3cid=96. There is loads of info about these systems, how they work, etc. there (together with grants, tax impacts, etc.)

I called my local ADEME office some time ago and they were exceptionally helpful.

Ian

[Clair]

As there are a few people interested in this, this is what I have found out so far:

• Chauffe eau solaire individuel (CESI) is what's it's called. This will give an idea of costs
• VAT is at 5.5% if purchase and install are through a professional.
• 50% tax credit is available if the professional is Qualisol approved by ADEME (see list here)
• ANAH has income-related loans and grants available, worth up to 30% of the works before tax. The request must be approved BEFORE the work starts.
• The Conseil Régional may also have grants. In Midi-Pyrénées they offer 600€ towards the fitting of a CESI.

So I'll look into it and keep you updated if you're interested.