While the flat panel option can be explained in a very simplistic way, the vacuum tube solar panels are a little more complicated and require a more technical explanation. I’m not going to attempt to cover all the technicalities here but I will try to outline a basic explanation:

The vacuum tube solar panels contain evacuated glass tubes which act individually to heat up solar absorbers which subsequently heats the fluid system in the manifold that in turn is circulated through the domestic hot water tank where the transfer of heat takes place from the fluid to the domestic water. The system of transfering the heat from the solar panels to the domestic hot water system is the same for both types of panel, it is themethod by which the heat is harvested from the sun that differs.

Each individual tube consists of two glass tubes made from strong borosilicate glass. The outer tube is transparent, allowing sunlight rays to pass through with minimal reflection. The inner tube is coated with anabsorbant AL-N/AL coating layer that is greyish in colour and features excellent solar radiation absorption and minimal reflection properties. The space between the two glass layers is evacuated and this vacuum creates a perfect thermal insulation minimises the heat loss of the collector.

There is a copper pipe inside the coated glass tube with a small amount of a heat conducting fluid. When heated, this fluid is converted from liquid to gas and naturally moves to the top of the tube where it transfers the heat to the solar fluid in the manifold. The gas then condenses back into a liquid, and flows down the inside of the tube. This process continuously repeats itself  within each vacuum tube.

There is huge potential for the “green” economy to help Ireland meet its current economic and environmental challenges and this action group will advise the government on how it will go about investing in Green Enterprise.
The Global energy market is expected to be worth US$1.3 Trillion (€1Trillion) in 2010 and the group will be tasked with mobilising our talents across both the public and private sector to position Ireland at the forefront of the new global green economy, according to Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan TD

The group will report to the Government in four months time, advising it on how state agencies and departments should work together to exploit our huge potential in the area.
Kedco plc, is a bio-science energy group operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland that also comprises a number of businesses serving industrial and residential customers all with a renewable energy focus including the sale of biomass boilers and the production of wood and biomass products. Kedco floated on the Alternative Investment Market(AIM) of the London Stock Exchange on Monday October 20th 2008. Kedco was admitted to the AIM with a market capitalisation of €35.0million

Kedco is a leading bio-science energy group operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Kedco provides companies with platforms to convert waste into clean energy. Kedco are experts in technologies such as dry fermentation , gasification , biomass heating , power generation through the installation of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) units , domestic wood pellet boilers and solar panels .

The Windsor is a uniquely different pellet stove. Fashioned in intricate detail from durable cast iron and featuring opening doors, it’s unlike any other pellet stove produced. Traditional in style, it’s available in an assortment of beautiful colour finishes to match any decor.

The Windsor is a powerful heater. It has one of the most effective methods for creating heat for your home, easy to use controls with multiple settings and a generous sized hopper. Basked in warmth, you’ll love to relax in front of the large viewing window and watch as the adjustable flames reflect off the cast brick liner.
more info on the Windsor Space Heater Pellet Stove

Kedco is delighted to introduce our vertical and horizontal axis wind turbines. The windmills are noise free; the only sound comes from the sweeping of the arms with the horizontal axis wind turbine, which is less with the vertical axis wind turbine.

Generally, the turbine is positioned approx 20 – 60 metres from the house. Noise has never been an issue and complies fully with planning guidelines.

Some facts for you

Do you know that each year, for every megawatt of Irish wind energy that displaces fossil fuel power production there are huge environmental, economic and social benefits including:

• Removes the need to import 6,450 barrels of oil
• The avoidance of 2700 tonnes of CO2 (carbon dioxide)
• The avoidance of 49 tonnes of SO2 (sulphur dioxide)
• The avoidance if 5.5 tonnes of NOx (nitrogen dioxide)
• The avoidance of 175 tonnes of slag and ash landfill
• And clean electricity to meet the electricity needs of 650 homes

Now lets look at the Financial benefits:

Generally, payback on your wind turbine investment depends on the following:

• Your total ESB bill
• What size windmill you would like to consider
• The efficiency of the location for wind generation.

Example Payback period

A detached house would generally look at between a 3-6Kw wind turbine to meet their demands. The payback for this would be approx 8 -12 years with the windmill lifetime estimated around 25 years.

Therefore, you would have very low if not free energy costs for at least 10 plus years after installation costs are saved

Contact Kedco today and organise for one of our expert installers to call to you to discuss the various options available to you.

353 (0)21 467 0427 / info@kedco.com

US crude jumped to $60.08 a barrel, its highest point since mid-November, before slipping back to $58.62, up 12 cents from Monday’s close. Brent North Sea crude added 10 cents to $57.58.

The gains came as the euro soared above $1.37, its highest level for one and a half months. A weak dollar stimulates demand for dollar-priced crude because it becomes cheaper for buyers using stronger currencies.  read more

Maybe we’ve been out for the day and we need to heat the living room quickly when we get home in the evening or maybe it was a warm day with a cold night?

I always like to consider the environment when I heat the house. I live in a rented house so have no control over the source of central heating which is oil fueled. If it was my house I would have a wood pellet boiler.
I have solar water heating, and while it heats water no matter how little sunshine, there have been few days this spring that it reached maximum temperature. So it needs a little help.

I used to just switch on the oil and forget about it but now I’ve discovered that Eco heat logs are the perfect solution. They are CO2 neutral, excellent value for money and create UNBELIEVEBALE heat!
So next time you need heat quickly, don’t turn on the oil, light some heatlogs

Kedco Pellet Stove

Don’t miss out on the remarkable offer Kedco is currently running on the Kedco Trend Pellet  Stove.

This stove is made from cast iron and is easy to install. The trend stove acts as a space heater heating the room it is installed in and will act as a secondary heat source helping to maintain and control over heating expenses.

It will make a beautiful centrepiece in whatever room it is positioned in. The design of the stove is contemporary and therefore, will blend with any interior design concept.

See Kedco’s online energy store for this and many more fantastic offers or see the Wood Pellet Stove at our Cork Showrooms in Little Island.

This wood pellet stove is on offer for the amazing price of €2,250 with a savings of €473

Sustainable Energy Ireland will accept applications from householders wishing to save money and energy by insulating their properties.

Announcing the opening, Minister Ryan said,

“Since I announced that I had secured the funding for this scheme, there has been an unprecedented level of interest from the public.
Sustainable Energy Ireland has received 94,000 calls and website visits. SEI has assured me that from today applications received online will be processed in under 3 days. I am pleased that so soon after the initial announcement we are up and running, with all the proper procedures in place.
We need even more qualified contractors to come on board in order to deliver this scheme. I would urge contractors to register with SEI and secure a major business boost for themselves in the process. The level of public interest is such that contractors can be assured of work for themselves and for new employees through this Government scheme.
Sustainable Energy Ireland will emphasise quality throughout the scheme, ensuring that homeowners get the best workmanship and value for money.
Insulation is the single best way of saving money on energy. This Scheme will see homeowners save up to €700 annually on their electricity bills. This, coupled with recent reductions in electricity prices is great news for consumers in these tight times.
Construction workers will benefit from the thousands of jobs this scheme will create. It’s good news for our pockets, for the economy and for the environment”.

Householders and contractors can apply online at www.sei/hes or by calling the dedicated phone line 1850 927000

Eligibility:

• The scheme is aimed at older houses that would not typically have the energy efficiency features of recently built homes. The scheme is open to all houses built prior to 2006. Houses built from 2006 onwards should be built to the Building Regulations 2002 standard, which specifies high quality insulation and heating controls

Objectives:

1. To reduce energy use and CO2 emissions from the existing housing stock, and
2. To support the development of the energy services industry in Ireland.

Eligible measures:

• The eligible measures and the set grant amounts available.

• The typical improvement in BER rating that could be expected from each individual measure, done in isolation. Note that in estimating the total potential BER improvement, if the full range of meas ures is installed, the potential BER improvements for each measure should not be added together.

_____________________________________________________

The typical payback period for each measure, arising from energy saved.

1. Measure
2. Grant rate
3. Typical net BER improvement
4. Typical payback (years)

Roof Insulation
€250
10-20%
3-6

Cavity Wall Insulation
€400
15-20%
4-5

Internal Wall Insulation
€2,500
25-30%
7-10

External Wall Insulation
€4,000
25-30%
15-20

High efficiency boiler plus heating control upgrade
€700
25-30%
4-5

Heating control upgrade only
€500
15 -25%
4-5

Building Energy Rating
€200

Minimum investment:

• A minimum level of investment is required of householders to participate in the scheme. Householders must avail of measures (excluding BER) involving a minimum grant payment of €500 for a first application. This means that hou seholders cannot avail of a grant for roof insulation or cavity wall insulation only. These low cost measures must be undertaken together or with another measure.

Heating controls and boilers:

• To avail of the €500 grant for heating controls, a homeowner must install a range of time, temperature and zone controls on their heating system and electric immersion water cylinder. This low cost measure can improve a home’s BER rating by up to 25%, yet has a payback of only 4 to 5 years.

• While heating controls can be added to an existing heating system, it is particularly attractive to any homeowner replacing their boiler to also install heating controls at that time. Under the Building Regulations 2008, anybody replacing an existing oil or gas boiler must install a condensing boiler with a minimum seasonal efficiency of 86%. Condensing boilers with an efficiency of up to 95% are available on the market. This additional efficiency can lead to significant savings . A grant of €200 towards the cost of these higher efficiency boilers is available to any homeowner who is also installing heating controls.

Wall insulation options:

• To insulate the walls of their home, owners may have a choice of cavity wall, internal or external insulation, depending on the construction of their home. Homeowners should seek professional advice on which option is most suitable for their home.

• Where a house has a suitable cavity, then cavity wall insulation is the most economical investment. Where this is not possible the options are either internal dry lining or external insulation. Internal dry lining, while considerably less expensive than external insulation, will ultimately reduce somewhat the internal habitable space of the home and may not be practical where there is decorative internal plasterwork. External wall insulation may prove preferable where a significant upgrade to the external facade is already envisaged. Both may resul t in additional works in order to reinstate electrical, plumbing and glazing fixtures.

Building Energy Rating:

• A BER assessment is not required for participation in the scheme. However, a BER carried out prior to works can provide useful advice to a homeowner on the upgrade measures he or she needs to take to improve the home’s energy efficiency. A BER conducted after the measures are finished can establish the impact of the works and give the homeowner comfort regarding their investment.

• To avail of the BER grant of €200, a homeowner must have a BER assessment conducted before and after works. Anybody wishing to secure the services of a registered BER assessor can find details at www.sei.ie/ber . Homeowners should shop around for the best price.

Yet again, I found the answers to many of the questions that I was pondering, right here on our website in a case study about an installation in Aghada, County Cork.

Like with other products, some of the reasons are borne out of pure practicality while others are driven by respect for the issues facing the global environment.

In this case study, JP & Evelyn Morrissey purchased an Evacuated Tube Solar Energy System and when asked about the key benefits listed “Free hot water” with “no fuel” and “practically no maintenance“. When asked why they implemented the system they gave equal weight to economically wise” and “environmentally friendly”.

To answer my question, why purchase your Solar panel system from Kedco in Cork? I couldn’t have put it better myself:

“They knew what they were talking about, have a reputable history of installations, were able to provide us with the option of doing the installation for us, and have a very strong technical back up team, which is very important when installing something that is new to us”

JP & Evelyn Morrissey is one of the many satisfied Kedco solar customers in Cork.

Kedco prides itself on the tailored solar packages, which the company offers its customers. Kedco not only sells a quality product but our prices are extremely competitive, and we ensure all our customers get unrivalled technical support. With solar products, customers not only do there bit for the environment but also achieve huge cost benefits.