A. Overall a maximum grant of £400 or 30% of the relevant eligible costs, whichever is the lower is available via the Government’s BERR Low Carbon Buildings Programme. To find out how to apply for a solar panel system grant and details of the criteria for a grant please visit www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk.

A. At HBS Solarwarm our price promise is straightforward. We don’t run special offers, we don’t offer false ‘show home’ subsidies, and we don’t offer to pay your VAT. But we do promise the best possible price for your installation - and we guarantee it. So if within 14 days of placing your order, you find a lower price for the exact specification of products and services, we guarantee to match our competitor’s quotation. Or, if your installation has gone ahead, we’ll refund the difference, up to 14 days after installation. Our guarantees.

A. The VAT on solar heating systems varies. DIY solar panel systems carry 15% VAT. A solar panel system installed by a professional installer such as HBS Solarwarm carries just 5% VAT.

A. A sustainable energy is one that can best be thought of as an energy which can be replenished within a human lifetime and which causes no long-term damage to the environment. Solar, ground source, air source and exhaust air heat pumps, amongst other new energy technologies, are all self-sustaining. They all have sources that cannot be depleted. Extended use of these energy sources aids the conservation of other non-renewable energy sources such as fossil fuels.

A. At HBS Solarwarm we use evacuated tube solar panels to collect and absorb the free solar energy generated by the sun; the absorbed sunlight is converted into heat which is conducted into a heat absorbent fluid flowing inside the solar panel. The hot fluid from the solar panel is then circulated by a pump to a copper coil heat exchanger set inside a thermal store, hot water tank or cylinder. This process heats the water inside the cylinder. When hot water is required, the heated water flows from the cylinder to wherever it is needed in your home – including contributing to your central heating system.

A. HBS Solarwarm almost exclusively installs evacuated tube solar heating panels. Evacuated tube solar panels, like all solar panels, work on sunlight - not heat from the sun. We select evacuated tube solar heating panels precisely because they are significantly more efficient than the conventional flat plate type solar panels and will outperform flat plate solar panels on short days in winter, or in cloudy conditions.

A. HBS Solarwarm evacuated tube solar panels, like all solar panels, work best on a south facing roof, but if a south facing roof is not available, an efficient solar collection can be achieved by an ‘east west split’. An ‘east west split’ involves installing evacuated tube solar panels on both east and west facing roofs, and then switching the heat collection (via a in-built automatic solar controller) from one set of solar panels to the other, as the sun makes its way across the sky. An ‘east west split’ installation works in exactly the same way as a south facing installation, but simply splits the distribution of the panels between east and west to make the most of the available sunlight.

A. An HBS Solarwarm evacuated tube solar panel installation will provide up to 60% of an average home’s annual domestic hot water requirements – and almost uniquely, will contribute to household central heating requirements. An HBS Solarwarm solar heating system will provide hot water and a contribution to heating year round but there will be times when you will need a boiler (or suitable alternative new energy supply) to augment the free energy obtained from your solar panel system.
In most cases HBS Solarwarm will be able to integrate your existing boiler into your new solar panel powered system, but in some cases, if for example your boiler is over ten years old, or your boiler is not suitable to fit to a solar system, you may need a replacement boiler. In these circumstances HBS Solarwarm and HBS New Energies, will help you to review your whole heating system to make sure that you get the best out of any new cost-cutting energy sources that are suitable for your home - or to help you choose an efficient new boiler to integrate with a solar powered heating system.

A. The key to a successful solar power system lies with the hot water cylinder and its control system. This is because all the heating system inputs - and the outputs - flow through the cylinder. At HBS Solarwarm, we aim to make maximum use of the solar energy we collect via the solar panels we fit, so we specify specialist new solar technology cylinders like the Gledhill Torrent to work with our solar panels. These new solar cylinders will provide up to 60% of your hot water for domestic use plus, almost uniquely, make a contribution toyour central heating needs.

This contribution to heating your home not only helps reduce your energy consumption and save you money but obviously helps to reduce the pay-back period on your solar technology investment.

A. An HBS Solarwarm solar panel heating system can be integrated into your domestic heating and hot water system at any time of the year because, our evacuated tube solar panels work well even in the wintertime. Installation is usually quick, mess free and straightforward because our systems are usually able to work in conjunction with your existing boiler.

A. HBS Solarwarm is part of a group of companies that includes HBS New Energies and HBS Mechanical Services Limited. Established in Southampton in 1950, we are a family firm of professional heating and ventilation engineers. We provide traditional fossil fuel, and new energy solutions, for domestic heating and hot water systems, and we work across the South of England with national house builders, housing associations and family properties. Our HBS Solarwarm division provides solar powered hot water heating systems whilst HBS New Energies is our specialist division for new energies. But at the heart of our company lies the heating and ventilation engineering expertise that enables us to provide our customers with best advice on how to save energy, reduce CO₂ emissions and importantly save money through the installation and maintenance of appropriate heating and domestic hot water systems.

A. HBS Solarwarm has a showroom situated on the East side of Southampton, very close to junction 8 on the M27. Besides our display of solar energy technologies, visitors to HBS Solarwarm are able to see a working range of the latest new energy technologies for domestic hot water and home heating. Our fully functioning new energy displays not only heat our showroom, but also provide heating and hot water for our offices.

Visitors are welcome to visit our showroom just to look at our new energy displays and to collect literature, but if you would like to know more, there is usually an advisor on hand to provide you with free no-obligation advice on how you can save energy on heating and hot water in your home and, as importantly, reduce your family’s carbon footprint. If however you want to be sure of meeting an advisor it is a good idea to book an appointment. More about our showroom, opening times and booking an appointment with an advisor.

A. HBS Solarwarm with HBS New Energies and HBS Mechanical Services Limited, are specialists in heating and ventilation engineering. Unlike most solar panel installers we specialise in providing heating and hot water systems for family homes. This means that from initial specification through to installation of your solar system, you will always be dealing with qualified experts able to talk to you not only about a solar panel installation, but also about your heating and ventilation system as a whole. In this way you can be assured of receiving best advice on how to save money by reducing your household energy consumption, as well as finding out how you can make a significant reduction in your household CO₂ emissions.

What’s more, because heating and ventilation engineering is our business, when we install your solar heating we flush your whole heating system through* - this service is free of charge to our customers as we consider it necessary to ensure that your whole heating system reaches maximum efficiency. *Where applicable.

HBS Solarwarm is also very competitively priced too - our price promise guarantees that you get the best possible price for your installation. Our promise is straightforward - we guarantee the best possible price every time! So if within 14 days of placing your order, you find a lower price for the exact specification of products and services, we guarantee to match our competitor’s quotation. Or, if your installation has gone ahead, we’ll refund the difference, up to 14 days after installation. All we ask is that you provide us with an original copy of our competitor’s quote, so that we can compare it with our own, and advise you whether you have a legitimate claim for a reduction.

A. HBS Solarwarm, together with HBS New Energies provides a range of new energy solutions for domestic heating and hot water. Besides solar panel powered heating systems we also provide biomass boilers (also known as Bioenergy, Biofuel or Wood Pellet Boilers); Heat pumps – including ground source heat pumps, air and air to water heat pumps and exhaust or heat recovery pumps.

HBS Solarwarm with HBS New Energies and HBS Mechanical Services Limited form a group of companies based in Southampton and specialising in heating and ventilation. This mix of traditional, and new energy, heating and ventilation expertise in HBS, allows us to provide our customers with best advice on the most cost effective way of providing hot water and heating for their homes. We are a family company, in business since 1950; we service customers in the South of England – including Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset, West Sussex, Surrey, London, Berkshire and Oxfordshire.

A. Amount of grants available
Please see following table for the funding levels available for each microgeneration technology.

To find out how to apply for a grant and details of the criteria for a grant please visit www.lowcarbonbuildings.org.uk.