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Available as a complete package, Solarsmart from Alpha Boilers offers a solar thermal system that pre-heats a volume of water and works in conjunction with a combination boiler. The product includes a flat plate collector, a 90 litre unvented cylinder, a drainback unit, and a fixing kit with connection to any combination boiler in the company's range - or as part of a retro-fit. The roof-mounted flat plate collector absorbs and converts solar radiation to energy which is used to heat water stored in an unvented cylinder. As the boiler is only used when there is demand for hot water it uses less energy than conventional systems. This is because the water is partially heated before reaching the boiler, so it is rarely required to operate at full load. As the flat plate collector absorbs solar radiation and not light or heat, it can deliver large volumes of hot water even in winter months.

This product appeared in Building Products more than 12 months ago. Please contact Alpha Boilers directly for further details.

This month?s front cover shows Alpha?s new SolarSmart solar panel system. The fastest growing renewable technology in Europe, solar thermal heating systems use a flat panel collector to convert free energy from the sun?s radiation into domestic hot water, reducing reliance on gas and helping to control fuel bills. SolarSmart represents a major development in solar thermal technology, making it more accessible and cost-effective. By using a combination boiler and unvented cylinder to store pre-heated water, SolarSmart can always supply large volumes of hot water on demand, even when it is cloudy and during the winter months. It maximises system efficiency by using a combination boiler to ensure that water is only heated when needed. With solar heated water in the cylinder, the boiler is rarely required to operate at full load, yet instantaneous hot water is guaranteed. Conventional systems use a system boiler as back-up to supplement hot water supplies. However, they make no allowances for hot water demand. This can be wasteful if there is no imminent need for that volume of stored, heated water. SolarSmart is available as a complete package - solar panel, unvented cylinder, drainback unit, solar valve and fixing kit - and can be retro-fitted with an existing combination boiler, or installed as a new system.

This product appeared in Building Products more than 12 months ago. Please contact Alpha Boilers directly for further details.