Solar hot water

[Piemaster]

Anyone got a solar hot water system? Has it been worth it?

Background: The gas bolier is limping along. Had a quote for a new one - condensing type (old one isn't and 17ish years old). Also going to get the vented system converted to high pressure system, we only have showers run from a twin impeller pump, so will able to do away with the pump and get a decent flow in bathroom basin taps. It's painfully slow filling one at moment.
It will mean a new hot water cylinder regardless. Installer has quoted an extra £90 for a twin coil one. I'm thinking it would be worth getting it - it's not much extra added to the overall price of the quote. The solar heating could then come later (or possibly not) without the expense of having yet another cylinder then.

 

[raleighnut]

Condensing boilers that run on mains pressure water do not usually have a hot water tank, they heat water 'on demand'.

 

[Onyer]

As far as I can understand the solar hot water system will only heat your hot water, i.e. not your central heating system. (Unless this has changed in the last few years). We use gas for cooking, heating water and central heating. When I looked at the bills and guestimating how much was used for hot water, the payback for installing a solar hot water system was too long. We went for solar panels to generate electricity and with the feed in tariff they were a very good investment.
But things change over the years and prices have come down. Good idea to change your cylinder while you are having the work done. New ones are much better insulated so you will save money on reducing heat loss.

 

[sight-pin]

@raleighnut (Forgot to add quote, i don't know how to add it after?)

Yes they can, you can fit a sealed system boiler which is almost the same as a combi but without the hot water etc, it then feeds a mains pressure cylinder like a 'Megaflow' it gives you mains pressure hot water, also the Megaflow has a damper system (or did?) so the pressure remains more constant than one that don't have that fitted. Expensive system but very good imo.

 

[Piemaster]

Condensing boilers that run on mains pressure water do not usually have a hot water tank, they heat water 'on demand'.

Thats a 'combi' boiler, a different thing to what I'm looking at. Some outfits use 'system boiler' to describe the boiler on a pressurised system.

Thinking is that as I work away a lot, son is at Uni there are only 2 people in the house a fair bit of the time it should provide enough hot water for them, at least during the summer months. With heating not in use then either the gas would only be for cooking - they will be encouraged to live on salad.

@User9609 Cheers. cylinder will be being changed, so as you say I think it will be worth it.