Solar system installation
Complete solar hot water installations – panels, pipework, pump station, controller and cylinder. Designed around your roof, your household size and your existing heating.
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Solar Panel Installation in Louth (Drogheda, Dundalk, Ardee)
Solar hot water systems designed, installed and serviced across County Louth and Dublin. Solar heats water you are currently paying gas, oil or electricity for.
- Solar hot water (thermal)
- Twin-coil cylinders
- Ask for the price first
- County Louth and Dublin
Solar systems
Solar hot water for Irish homes – what it actually does
A solar hot water system uses panels on your roof to heat water, which is stored in a cylinder and used exactly as you use hot water now. It is not a replacement for your boiler – it works alongside it. The sun does as much of the work as it can, and your boiler only tops up the difference. That is where the saving comes from.
Ireland gets more usable sunshine than people assume. You will not get all your hot water from the sun in December, but across a full year it covers a real share of a household’s hot water, and much of it through the summer months, when your boiler can often stay off.
Cylinder upgrades
Solar needs a twin-coil cylinder – one coil for the solar, one for the boiler. If yours is single-coil or simply old, a properly sized replacement goes in.
Boiler integration
The controls matter as much as the panels. The system is set up so the boiler only fires when solar cannot meet demand, rather than both fighting each other.
Solar servicing & repair
Existing system underperforming? Solar fluid degrades, pumps fail and sensors drift. Ask about servicing and repair, including systems fitted by someone else.
Roof suitability
Orientation, pitch, shading and roof condition decide whether solar is worth it. Ask before quoting, and a roof that does not suit should be ruled out early.
Commercial solar hot water
Guesthouses, salons, gyms and other businesses with heavy hot water demand are often the best candidates of all. See our commercial plumbing page.
How much will I save?
It is hard to put an exact figure on the saving, because every solar installation is different.
For example, the optimum position of the Solar Panel – not all houses are south facing. The optimum position is south facing at 35 degrees on the roof. In today’s climate and the rising cost of heating bills, any help in reducing your household bills has to be considered.
The things that make the biggest difference to your actual saving are:
- Which way the roof faces. South is best; south-east and south-west still work well. Due north is not worth doing.
- Roof pitch. Around 35 degrees is the sweet spot in Ireland.
- Shading. A tall tree or a neighbouring gable can cost you a surprising amount.
- How much hot water you actually use. A busy family home saves far more than a couple who are out all day.
- What you heat water with now. Replacing expensive electric immersion heating gives the fastest payback.
Flat plate or evacuated tube?
There are two kinds of solar hot water panel, and the right one depends on your roof rather than on which is “better”.
Flat plate collectors sit lower and flatter against the roof, look tidier, are more robust and are usually less expensive. They are the common choice where roof space is not tight.
Evacuated tube collectors are more efficient per square metre and perform better in cold and overcast weather – which matters in an Irish winter. They cost more, but they are the answer when roof space is limited or the orientation is not ideal.
Which one suits depends on your roof. Ask, and you will get the reason.
What is involved in a solar installation
A typical domestic solar hot water installation takes one to two days. Panels are mounted on the roof, the flow and return pipework is run down to the hot press, a twin-coil cylinder goes in if you do not already have one, and the pump station and controller are fitted and commissioned. The system is filled with the correct glycol solution, pressure tested, the controls are set and you are shown how it works.
Ask about guarantees and insurance for your job, and ask for the price before any work starts.
Solar hot water and solar electricity are two different things. This page is about solar thermal – panels that heat your water, which is plumbing work. Solar PV panels generate electricity and are installed by a registered electrical contractor. Grant support for home energy upgrades in Ireland is run by the SEAI and the schemes change, so check the current terms on the official SEAI website before budgeting.
Solar hot water panels on an Irish roof
Hot water from daylight, working alongside your boiler.
Where we work
Solar hot water across County Louth and beyond
Louth
Solar hot water installation across Louth village and the surrounding rural properties.
Drogheda
Solar panel installation Drogheda – surveys, installations and servicing across the town.
Dundalk
Solar panel installation Dundalk, the town and the surrounding area.
Ardee
Rural homes on oil often see the biggest benefit from solar. Full cover across Ardee and mid-Louth.
Dublin
Solar hot water across north Dublin and the city: Balbriggan, Skerries, Swords, Malahide and along the M1 corridor.
Solar questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much will I save of my bills if I install a Solar Panel?
It depends on the house: which way the roof faces, the angle of the roof, how much hot water the household uses and how the water is heated now. Replacing expensive electric immersion heating usually gives the fastest payback. Ask about your own house before you budget.
Does solar actually work in Ireland?
Yes, for hot water it works well. Solar panels use daylight, not just direct sunshine, so they still generate on a bright overcast day. Through the summer a correctly sized system can cover practically all of a household’s hot water. In midwinter it contributes less and the boiler does more – which is why the system is designed to work with your boiler rather than instead of it.
Do I need a new hot water cylinder?
Usually, yes. Solar needs a twin-coil cylinder so the solar and the boiler can each heat the water independently. Most existing cylinders are single-coil. Ask for the cylinder to be included in the quote so there is no surprise later.
My roof does not face south. Is it still worth it?
Often yes. South facing at 35 degrees is the optimum, but south-east and south-west roofs still perform well – you simply get somewhat less over the year. A roof facing due north is not worth doing.
How long does a solar installation take?
A typical domestic installation takes one to two days, including fitting the panels, running the pipework, fitting the cylinder if needed, and commissioning the system.
Do solar systems need servicing?
Yes. The glycol solution in the panels degrades over time and loses its frost protection, and pumps and sensors can fail. A check every few years keeps the system performing.