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Over the past ten years Pam Freeman and husband Terry have been renovating their
three bedroom bungalow. With beautiful wood double glazed windows added and the outside
areas overhauled, it only left the heating system to be updated.
The couple like to keep the house warm throughout the year as Terry feels the cold after he returns from hospital visits. The ongoing cost of this above average energy usage has now been reduced with the extra support the solar system offers.
“We had recently had a new oil fired boiler put in,” begins Pam. “When we learned about the solar system we thought it would be a good addition to our new system and decided to go for it. We’ve also just recently added an Ecomaster which helps us to get even more efficiency from our system. When you look at the panel in the evening you can see that the boiler is off and this is due to the Ecomaster regulating our heating more effectively”
The couple’s Hertfordshire home lies close to the Cambridgeshire border and is tucked away, nestled in the lush countryside. Pam says having land around them was a consideration when they moved into the property a decade ago. As it is not on mains gas, the property uses oil to fire its central heating system and Pam roughly calculates they use two tanks per year. Each one is approximately 1000 litres and costs around £700 to fill.
“My first thoughts were that we were a bit old in the tooth for solar in terms of getting a return,” confides Pam, adding: “but we decided it would definitely help in the future when we come to sell the property as well as providing heating in the short term.”
Choosing to combine the solar thermal system with the existing oil set-up proved to be a worthwhile investment almost immediately. When the new boiler appeared to not be working, Pam still had plenty of hot water via the solar system. Some confusion with a switch on the new boiler led Pam to believe she had run out of oil unexpectedly but the problem was quickly dealt with when her son-in-law investigated further. Luckily the presence of the solar heating system meant that the couple didn’t have to go without hot water while the problem was identified.
Even with the thermostat set at around 23 degrees during the day – higher than the average domestic requirement – the pair really do get a return from their £7150 investment.
Meet Mrs Freeman in Hertfordshire
Type of installation: Solar Heating
