
The UK's commercial properties have already started switching on their heating systems, and will start to receive higher bills as a result.
All businesses with conventional heating systems, are always looking at many different ways of reducing their energy consumption, ranging from installing more efficient boilers, adding in or replacing boilers with high efficiency heat pumps or adding solar PV.
In this article we look at adding the latest generation of high efficiency solar thermal systems from Naked Energy to existing heating systems, to reduce the load on to the boilers or heat pumps, which are powering existing heating and hot water systems.
Everyone will be familiar with Solar PV which of course can be used in conjunction with anything electrical within the property. However PV systems needs a large amount of roof/floor space to make them viable.
Solar Thermal systems in domestic applications have been around for many years and are widely used in countries where the sun shines for most of the year, especially in residential applications. However they have only been suitable for domestic hot water use, and are are widely used in many Mediterranean countries.

In the UK we have a priority to keep the buildings we work in warm and comfortable. For Commercial applications with high heat loads these residential hot water systems are unsuitable. Larger high volume/output systems such as those from Naked Energy and their Virtu Hot solar thermal collector heats water from the power of the sun to up to 120°C. Manufacturing, Hotels and Leisure Centres can also benefit from high water temperatures.
The hot water temperature that is produced is of course variable depending on orientation, time of year, weather conditions, which is why they need to work in conjunction with other technology such as boilers or heat pumps.
Heat exchangers and buffer storage tanks would be incorporated into any system and then distributed accordingly at the temperatures required to radiator/underfloor heating and hot water circuits.
These solar thermal systems are ideal for decarbonising the heat demand across a number of sectors, from commercial offices, manufacturing, hotels and leisure centres. A great additional benefit is the ability to install them on vertical surfaces as well as on roofs. This means they generate nearly as much energy on a south-facing façade as it does on a rooftop.
Solar thermal is designed to work with existing systems
Solar Thermal is a complementary technology, it can be easily combined with existing heating technology, such as boilers and heat pumps. The integration is most efficient when a commercial solar thermal system pre-heats the system, which is then topped-up and maintained by the backup heat source.

The diagram above shows the principle of operation in a domestic application, but the same type layout would apply to commercial applications just on a larger scale.
The Virtu Hot products are easy to install and fully modular, mounted on frames in sets of five evacuated tubes. Reflectors are positioned between tubes to maximise energy capture.
The full technical document can be downloaded on the link below.
These systems contribute to the decarbonisation of heat and ideally utilises existing high-efficiency heat generation assets.
What information is needed to create a system design?
All buildings are of course unique, and we start by requesting some basic information about the building use, type, size, location, energy consumption, integration, building photos etc; and we then conduct a desk top analysis and suitability, we will provide a high level budget price which will include an installation estimate.
Assuming that the site(s) and pricing ROI etc meets the customers needs we will then conduct a full site site survey to determine best equipment locations and any integration with existing technology.
Benefits of an integrated approach:
✓ Reduced operational cost of heat pump through offsetting energy demand
✓ Self-sufficient, secure, free, zero-carbon energy
✓ Designed to optimise outputs and deliver maximum energy with limited installation space.
✓ 100% zero carbon energy
✓ up to 4x carbon savings compared to solar PV
✓ Improved building ratings
✓ Increased financial returns
✓ Energy independence from volatile fossil fuel prices
As well as the solar thermal system, they also produce their hybrid system which generates hot water and electricity from the same tube design. You can see more from clicking the video link below.
Financing through Heat-as-a-Service
Zero carbon heat and power, zero risk and zero upfront cost.
This service enables customers to access zero-carbon energy without any upfront capital. It’s a Power Purchase Agreement for solar thermal solutions.
The Solar-as-a-Service provides customers with solar thermal heat at a fixed cost per kWh.
How it works
We and Naked Energy secure the finance on behalf of a customer and undertakes the design and installation.
Naked Energy operates and maintains the system whilst managing billing and reporting.
The customer purchases solar thermal heat at a fixed cost and is protected from volatile energy prices. The customer retains the equipment and at the end of the term enjoys free, clean energy for an expected lifetime of 10 years.
The Solar-as-a-Service package gives customers long-term energy price forecasts and stability over a 10-year term.
What other solar thermal systems are available?
Of course Solar thermal systems have been around for many years, but like PV they have used flat panel designs, which ideally have to be angled towards the sun and on south facing roofs, which has therefore precluded certain sites as unsuitable.
Technology has moved on substantially and the increased performance from these new evacuated tube and hybrid systems means the older flat panel systems are becoming obsolete. New systems can be installed in a variety of locations even those that don't have to be south facing.
Conclusion
With energy having a far greater focus it's time that we adopt systems that can work in conjunction with other technology. If considering a decarbonisation/equipment upgrade/replacement, these new high-performance solar thermal system also helps in reducing equipment sizing and therefore energy consumption.
Contact us for an initial discussion
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