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What size system do you need?
Think about how people in your house use hot water. Are they frugal? Do they use a lot? Are they wasteful? The more hot water the occupants use, the bigger your system needs to be.
What type of panels?
The choice is between flat-plate panels and evacuated tubes. Here’s what they look like.
Costs, savings & incentives
An average price for an installed system (including a new cylinder) for a family of 4 is around £4-5000, but there will be geographical variations, as labour can be cheaper in some parts of the country.
Installation
We are building a list of recommended installers, depending on what part of the country you live in.
Living with a solar hot water system
Typically, a system will consume a small amount of electricity to run the pump and controller – less than £10 per year.
Maintenance of your system
Most systems are pressurised (the solar system is pressurised, not necessarily the cylinder), so it’s a good idea to check the pressure gauge reading every now and then – say, once a quarter.
Step-by-step guides to growing different edible crops in containers
Here’s a guide to growing edible crops in containers. With acknowledgement and thanks to Balcony Container Gardening.
Step-by-step guides to growing vegetables
Step-by-step guides to growing different vegetables. Thanks to John Harrison of Allotment & Gardens.
Code of conduct
Here’s a code of conduct for wild mushroom collecting:
Legal aspects
The following information is the understanding of a lay person interested in mushroom collection, rather than a legal professional.
Safety advice
Never eat a mushroom unless it is positively identified as edible. Use a good field guide, but don’t rely absolutely on pictures in books – differences between fungi can be difficult to spot.
Decide whether a wood stove really is for you
Read our introduction to wood stoves, their benefits, and what you can do. Maybe talk to other stove owners, (and see our resources – read books, attend courses) – get as much basic information as you can.
Decide what you want to use the stove for
How will you use it – do you want it to heat just one room, will you try and move heat around the house from that one room, or do you want it to heat the whole house, provide hot water – everything?
Decide what kind of fuel you will use
We recommend biomass rather than fossil fuels, because it’s more-or-less carbon-neutral
Sort out your chimney
99% of problems with wood stoves are caused by the wood used, or by the chimney.
Make sure you’re safe
Make sure your stove or flue isn’t next to combustible materials. If the stove backs on to a wooden wall, fit a heat shield to protect it.
Soil testing
Soil testing is a very useful way of seeing how your soil improvement techniques are working, what is working well and what isn’t.
Is your house suitable for solar? (including flat roof)
Do you have some south-facing roof space? Most people have a pitched roof, so there’s a good chance that you do – but if you don’t, an east-west roof is fine.
How much electricity will you generate?
There are various packages that you can use to estimate the amount of electricity that you will get out of your system, based on the area of panels you install, the orientation of your roof and the angle of inclination of your panels.