SOLAR DIARY

A week by week account of how our solar hot water system is performing.

Battery Voltage ===== The current voltage of the battery that is kept charged by the P/V panel.

Panel temp ======== Temperature of the sensor that is fixed to the panel.

Tank temp ======== Temperature of the sensor that is fixed to the bottom of the tank.

Acc temp ========= Temperature of outlet pipe at the top of tank measured with accurate thermometer

Boiler set to come on from 6 to 7 AM and 6 to 7 PM for hot water

Important changes to the system are in red

DIARY

With Autumn and winter approaching the heat gain from this setup will be expected to gradually get less, but I hope to keep this diary going just in the interest of research. It will be interesting to see how the system copes with freezing nights. And also how much hot water is made on sunny but cold days during the winter. If you are considering a solar system you may like to follow this diary. This will be a warts and all account. No exaggeration of results or non reporting of disasters.

Saturday 30th August 2008 at about 1.30 PM Finally got everything ready to go. Made a final check of all water and electrical connections. It was quite a hot day. I opened the two isolating water valves, connected the battery and waited for the controller board to set itself up. The display said: Battery voltage 12.80v: Panel temp 99C: Tank temp 23C. I was not expecting the panel temp to be so high. The pump was pumping for about 10 seconds every 15 seconds. The Pump was really noisy and I could hear it from downstairs as I made a cup of coffee. Starting to think I will have to put the pump in a sound proof box. I kept feeling the hot water return pipe, but it was not getting hot. I was wondering if there could be a blockage in the panel. I closed the hot return isolating valve and pulled off the pipe. There was no water in it at all, but I could hear hissing so I put the end of the pipe into a bucket and waited. To my great relief water started to flow from the pipe, and it was very hot. Steaming as it filled up the bucket. When the pump paused I quickly reconnected the pipe and opened the isolating valve. The pump is now very quiet. Must have been some sort of airlock in the panel. Pipe going into isolating valve is now reading 60C using a very accurate meter, but I think the pump may be pumping too much ( about 5 liters in 10 minutes ). I am not sure at the moment if my controller board is reading the panel temp accurately.

01-09-08 A warm day, but cloudy and windy with spells of hot sunshine. At about 12.00 a.m : Battery voltage 12.3v: Panel temp 67C: Tank temp 31C: Acc temp 50C. Pumping for 8 seconds every 15 seconds. I think it may be pumping too much and cooling the water in the tank after about 4.00 p.m.

02-09-08 A windy rainy day up to about 4 p.m then the sun came out for about an hour. At 4.30 p.m : Battery voltage 12.5v: Panel temp 51C: Tank temp 23C: Acc temp 30C.

03-09-08 Cloudy with spells of hot sunshine all day. At 1.30p.m Battery voltage 12.7v: Panel temp 90C: Tank temp 31C: Acc temp 65C. At 6p.m the boiler did not come on for the first time ever and the tank is full of hot water. I have reduced the pumping time to 4 seconds every 15 seconds and this is working better.

04-09-08----05-09-08 Both days overcast and raining. Have fitted a permanent thermometer under the insulation about 20 cm down from the top of the tank, for more accurate readings. I will try next week connecting the P/V panel direct to the pump. Just to see how this works out, but I still think that an electronic controller will be needed. Also plan to fit a water softener as soon as possible as I live in a hard water area.

06-09-08 Overcast and rain all day no free hot water today.

07-09-08 Overcast and rainy all day. Connected the P/V panel direct to the pump to see how a passive system works out, but no sun at the moment. Noticed that although the panel is at 45C the pump is not pumping because there is no direct sunshine.

09-09-08----10-09-08 Cloudy most of both days with some spells of sunshine. Panel temperature really shoots up when there is a spell of sunshine, pleased with this. With the P/V panel connected direct to the pump there are a few problems. When the sun comes out the pump pumps like mad and I think it would need a resistor across the pump connections to slow the pump down a bit. Probably would have to try quite a few values to get this correct. Also noticed that when the sun goes in, the pump stops whilst the panel is still hot. When there is very thin cloud the panel warms up to about 45C but there is not enough sun to start the pump. I think this type of system would work well where there is plenty of reliable sunshine and the pump is slowed down . There is some worry if the pump was to start pumping when the panel is frozen the pressure build up may push one of the pipes off.

11-09-08 It's no fun when there's no sun.

12-09-08 Tank temp probe is moved from the bottom of the tank where it always reads about 25C to a position about 20cm from the top of the tank under the insulation. Day starts off very cloudy and overcast, then about 1 pm the sun comes out and the panel temp shoots up to 84C at one point. The pump is pumping about 4 seconds every 15 seconds and the tank temp gradually rises from 35C to 45C over the next three hours. Then the clouds return. At 6 p.m. the boiler comes on for about 10 minutes and raises the tank temp to 47C then shuts off. Almost had a boiler free evening. The controller is now set so that the pump pumps only when the panel temp is 5C or more above the tank temp. P/V panel and pump now connected to the controller board.

13-09-08 Cloudy at first then at 11a.m the sun came out and there were long sunny spells all afternoon. Panel temp got up to 84C at one point and the tank temp was 45C about 5 p.m. Had to go out so do not know if the boiler came on, but it probably did for only about 10 minutes.

14-09-08 A nice sunny day all day. The panel was soon up to 92C and stayed hot all day. The water in the tank got to 51C and the boiler never came on at all. At about 10pm the panel went down to about 8C and the controller went into sleep mode as planned.

15-09-08 Not very sunny today. Panel max was 70C and tank max was about 42C at 3pm. Made some hot water.

16-09-08 Overcast. Panel max = 49C Tank max 45C.

17-09-08 Overcast. Panel max = 65C Tank max 45C. One thing I have noticed about these dull days is that although the tank temp does not get very high, there is much more hot water in the tank. It is getting hotter lower down.

18-09-08 Sunny day all day. Really pleased how things are working when the sun comes out. Panel max 90C. Tank max 50C. No need for boiler to come on.

19-09-08 Even hotter today. Panel max = 98C. Tank max 53C. Boiler never came on. Water is so hot in the tank that the boiler may not come on in the morning. £££££££.

20-09-08 Sunny day all day. Panel max = 92C. Tank max = 49C.

21-09-08 Sunny day all day. Panel max = 94C. Tank max = 50C.

22-09-08 Overcast day with some spells of sunshine. Panel max = 63C. Tank max 43C.

23-09-08 Overcast most of the day. Panel max = 47C. Tank max = 39C.

24-09-08 Overcast most of the day. Panel max = 41C. Tank max = 30C.

25-09-08 Overcast most of the day. Panel max = 71C. Tank max = 41C.

26-09-08 Nice sunny day. Panel max = 94C. Tank max = 53C. Pipe going into tank was too hot to touch. Boiler never came on and may not come on in the morning.

27-09-08 Nice sunny day. Used a lot of hot water today. Panel max = 94C. Tank max = 53C. boiler came on for 5 minutes at 6PM, but never came on the next morning.

28-09-08 Sunny day. Panel max = 92C. Tank max = 47C.

29-09-08 Sunny day. Panel max = 88C. Tank max = 50C. I have turned down the tank thermostat about 5C to 50C. This may stop the boiler coming on for about 5 minutes on some evenings.

30-09-08 No Sun.

01-10-08 Overcast most of the day. Panel max = 67C. Tank max = 39C.

02-10-08 Dull day.

03-10-08 Dull day. Still making some hot water on these dull days,but not much.

04-10-08 Dull day.

05-10-08 Rain all day.

06-10-08 Started off dull again then at 11.30 AM the sun came out for about two hours and made quite a lot of hot water. Panel max = 86C. Tank max = 49C.

07-10-08 Dull day.

08-10-08 Sunny day. Panel max = 94C. Tank max = 50C. No boiler on.

09-10-08 Sunny day. Panel max = 90C. Tank max = 49C. No boiler on.

10-10-08 Sunny day. Panel max = 85C. Tank max = 46C. Boiler on for about 10 minutes.

11-10-08 Sunny day all day. Made lots of hot water. Had a Eureka moment today.

see: Eureka moment Boiler came on for about 10 minutes, but we used a lot of hot water today.

12-10-08 Sunny day all day. Panel max = 88C. Tank max = 48C. used a lot of hot water today including pre filling the dishwasher. Don't know if the boiler came on.

13-10-08 Dull day.

14-10-08 Dull day.

15-10-08 Dull day.

16-10-08 Sunny day. Just about made a tank full of hot water and it was quite a chilly day.

17-10-08 Sunny day. Showers,Pre filled dishwasher, and no boilers on

18-10-08 Sunny day. Used plenty hot water. No boiler on.

19-10-08 Dull day.

20-10-08 Sunny day all day. Loads of free hot water. No boiler on.

21-10-08 Started off frosty. Then sun came out. Loads of free hot water, no boiler on. Really pleased with how quickly the panel gets up to 80C + on a cold day.

22-10-08 Average autumn day. A bit of sun. made some hot water.

23-10-08 Made some hot water, but not much.

24-10-08 Made some hot water.

25-10-08 Made some hot water. Sun getting low in the sky.

26-10-08 Dull rainy day.

27-10-08 Made some hot water.

28-10-08 Chilly day but panel still getting up to 75C. Made some hot water.

29-10-08 In my back garden there is some ice but its sunny, And the panel is up to 84C making hot water.

30-10-08 Cold morning, but sunny. Made some hot water.

31-10-08 Cold morning,but sunny. Made some hot water.

01-11-08 Rainy all day.

02-11-08 Sunny but not much heat. Made some hot water.

03-11-08 Dull day.

04-11-08 Dull day.

05-11-08 Dull day.

06-11-08 Dull day.

07-11-08 Sunny for about two hours. Panel max 70C.

08-11-08 Dull rainy day.

09-11-08 Dull rainy day.

10-11-08 Windy rainy day.

11-11-08 A bit cold ( 10C ) but, sunny. panel max 70C. Made some hot water.

12-11-08 A bit cold ( 9C ) but, sunny. panel max 68C. Made some hot water. Made some changes to the controller board. Battery was over charging a bit, so now fitted a voltage regulator LM 317. Going to try some other type ( L200 ) with lower quiescent current drain.

13-11-08 Dull day.

14-11-08 About 2 hours sun. Panel max 70C. Made some hot water.

15-11-08 Dull day with some sunshine. Made some hot water.

16-11-08 Dull day.

17-11-08 Dull day.

18-11-08 Dull day.

19-11-08 Cold start but,sunny day. Panel max 70C. Made some hot water. Going to use LM 317 to charge battery.

20-11-08 Dull day.

21-11-08 Dull day.

22-11-08 Cold start with some sun about midday. Made some hot water.

23-11-08 Snow to begin with, then some sun. Made some hot water.

24-11-08 Cold start with some sun about midday. Made some hot water.

25-11-08 Ice on the car windows and on the panel. Must have been frozen in the night but, the sun came out at bout 10AM and the panel got up to about 60C. Pumped for about two hours. Although to panel is not getting very hot the tank is getting full with quite warm water during the day. I am going to set the controller so that it shuts down when the panel is below about 20C. Just to make sure that the pump can't pump in to a frozen panel. Now decided to change to PIC 16F833 for the controller chip.

26-11-08 Dull day.

27-11-08 Dull day with some sun.

28-11-08 Dull day.

29-11-08 Dull day.

30-11-08 Dull day.

01-12-08 Really cold morning but, sun came out at 10AM and made some hot water. Panel max 58C.

02-12-08 Starts off really cold then sun came out at 10.30 AM. Panel max about 60C for an hour or so. Made some hot water then it clouded over for the rest of the day.

03-12-08 Really cold again to start with, then sun comes out for about two hours and makes some hot water. Panel max about 60C.

04-12-08 Repeat.

05-12-08 Repeat.

06-12-08 Repeat

07-12-08 Repeat

08-12-08 Repeat

09-12-08 Repeat

10-12-08 And the same thing again today. Starts off really cold with ice and frost. Then the sun comes out about 11.00AM for two hours and makes some hot water panel max about 65C.

11-12-08 Dull day.

12-12-08 Dull day.

13-12-08 Dull rainy day.

14-12-08 Dull day.

15-12-08 Dull day.

16-12-08 Dull day.

17-12-08 Started cold ( this has been the coldest December for about 30 years in UK ) then the sun came out for about four hours and filled up the tank with quite warm water. Warm water coming out of the bottom of the tank. Panel max 68C.

18-12-08 Dull day.

19-12-08 Started cold then sunny for a couple of hours made some hot water. Panel max 60C.

20-12-08 Dull day.

21-12-08 Special day. Today is the day that we get the least sunshine in the year. The sun is furthest away and lowest in the sky and its a dull day. This means that from now on things will only get better for solar people. 21-12-08 is the least sun and 21-06-08 should be the most sunny day. Mid winter and mid summer come about six weeks later due to ocean cooling and heating.

22-12-08 Dull day nothing doing.

23-12-08 Dull day.

24-12-08 Dull day.

25-12-08 Dull day.

26-12-08 Cold start with some sun around midday. Made some hot water.

27-12-08 Cold start with some sun around midday. Made some hot water.

28-12-08 Cold start with some sun around midday. Made some hot water.

29-12-08 Same again.

30-12-08 Same again. Panel max 60C around 12.30 AM.

31-12-08 Dull day.

01-01-09 Dull day.

02-01-09 Cold dull day with a bit of sun not much.

03-01-09 Cold start then about 4 hours brilliant sunshine. Panel max 70C made quite a bit of hot water.

04-01-09 Cold dull day.

05-01-09 Snow. Then brilliant sunshine for two hours. Panel max about 55C. Made some hot water

06-01-09 Minus 5C during the night. Then brilliant sunshine most of the day. Pump was going for about three hours. Just about filled the tank with quite hot water. Panel max 70C. The whole system is working fantastic. Never expected to make hot water in January.

07-01-09 Cold dull day. Fitted an improved system controller today.

08-01-09 Cold dull day with a bit of sun then misty.

09-01-09 Cold dull day with a bit of sun, not much.

10-01-09 Cold misty day with a bit of sun, not much.

11-01-09 Frosty cold night, but sun came out about 10 am till 3pm. At mid day panel was at 82C. Made a lot of hot water today. Reduced the pump on time to 2 seconds.

12-01-09 Dull rainy day.

13-01-09 Dull day with hazy sunshine. Nothing doing.

14-01-09 Dull day.

15-01-09 Dull day.

16-01-09 Dull day.

17-01-09 Mild morning with sunshine for about 4 hours. Panel max about 78C made some hot water.

18-01-09 Mild morning again with a bit more sun today. Made some hot water.New controller working great.

19-01-09 Dull day.

20-01-09 Dull day.

21-01-09 Cold frosty morning then sun comes out about 10.30 am, and because the air is really clear the panel soon gets up to 75C. Made a full tank of hot water today. Even got hot water coming out of the bottom tank pipe.

22-01-09 Dull rainy day.

23-01-09 Dull rainy day.

24-01-09 Dull day weak sunshine.

25-01-09 Dull rainy day.

26-01-09 Sunny day. Panel max 70C. Made hot water.

27-01-09 Sunny all day. Panel max 80C. made a lot of hot water today.

28-01-09 Dull rainy day.

29-01-09 Hazy sunshine. Panel max 75C. Made some hot water.

30-01-09 Cold day, hazy sunshine, made some hot water. Not much.

31-01-09 Cold day, hazy sunshine, made some hot water. Not much.

01-02-09 Dull day.

02-02-09 Snow.

03-02-09 Really cold start then brilliant sunshine for a few hours. Panel max 82C. Made a lot of hot water today.

04-02-09 Snow and ice on the ground then brilliant sunshine for two hours. Panel max 80C. Made a lot of hot water.

05-02-09 Dull winter day.

06-02-09 Dull winter day.

07-02-09 Cold day with sunshine for about 3 hours. Made some hot water .Panel max 75C.

08-02-09 Hazy sunshine then brighter made some hot water.

09-02-09 Dull rainy day.

10-02-09 Dull day.

11-02-09 Dull day.

12-02-09 Sun for about an hour.

13-02-09 Really cold night. Then brilliant sunshine most of the day. Hot water coming out of the bottom of the tank.

14-02-09 Brilliant sunshine about 12AM till 2 PM panel max ( 96C ). Made a lot of hot water.

15-02-09 Dull day.

16-02-09 Hazy sunshine. Made some hot water. Not much

17-02-09 Mild day no sun.

18-02-09 Mild day no sun.

19-0209 Mild day with hazy sunshine.

20-02-09 Mild day with hazy sunshine.

21-02-09 Mild day with some sunshine. Made some hot water.

22-02-09 Very mild day, but dull. No sunshine.

23-02-09 Very mild day, but dull. No sunshine. This is probably the least productive time of the year.

24-02-09 Mild dull day no sun.

25-02-09 Dull day.

26-02-09 Mild day hazy sunshine.

27-02-09 Warmest day so far this year. Sunny for about 4 hours. Made a full tank of hot water. No need for boiler to come on at all.

28-02-09 Mild day hazy sunshine.

01-03-09 Mild day hazy sunshine.

02-03-09 Nice sunny day. Made a tank full of hot water. Boiler never came on at all.

03-03-09 Dull rainy day.

04-03-09 Dull day hazy sunshine.

05-03-09 Dull day hazy sunshine.

06-03-09 Nice sunny day, Hot water in the tank got up to 55C. Boiler never came on.

07-03-09 Sunny spells. Made some hot water. Panel max 82C.

08-03-09 Bright sunshine in the morning up to about 1.30 PM made a lot of hot water. Then dull and rainy in the afternoon. Panel max 82C.

09-03-09 Sunny spells. Made some hot water.

10-03-09 Sunny spells. Made some hot water.

11-03-09 Nice sunny day. Made some hot water.

12-03-09 Dull day.

13-03-09 Sunny spells. Made some hot water.

14-03-09 Sunny spells. Made some hot water.

15-03-09 Nice sunny day. Made a lot of hot water. Panel max 82C.

16-03-09 Best day so far. Made a full tank of hot water. Panel max 92C.

17-03-09 Made a full tank of hot water. Panel max 90C. Boiler never came on.

18-03-09 Made a full tank of hot water. Panel max 90C. Boiler never came on at 6PM or 6AM.

19-03-09 Nice and sunny in the morning. Made quite a bit of hot water. Then suddenly got cold and dull from about 1PM onwards.

20-03-09 Nice sunny day. Made a lot of hot water.

21-03-07 Sunny day. Made and used a lot of hot water.

22-03-07 Sunny day. Made a lot of hot water. Panel max 95C.

23-03-09 Dull rainy day.

24-03-09 Nice sunny day. A bit cold, but made a lot of hot water.

25-03-09 Sunny spells then rain.

26-03-09 Started dull and rainy then the sun came out for a couple of hours and we made some hot water.

27-03-09 Sunny spells. Made some hot water.

28-03-09 Dull rainy start then really hot sunshine for a few hours. Made quit a bit of hot water.

29-03-09 Really nice sunny day. Made and used a lot of hot water. Panel max 98C.

30-03-09 Best day so far. Hot sunshine most of the day. Panel max 98C. Made a full tank of really hot water.

31-03-09 Dull overcast day. Gas meter is read ( 3367 ) and bill from EON is £197.42

01-04-09 Sunny day. Made a tank full of really hot water.

02-04-09 Dull and cold up till about 12AM. Then out came the sun all afternoon and we made some hot water.

03-04-09 Sunny but cool. Made a lot of hot water.

04-04-09 Sunny but cool. Made a lot of hot water. Pre filling the machines at every opportunity.

05-04-09 Sunny but cool. Made a lot of hot water.

06-04-09 Sunny but cool. Made a lot of hot water.

07-04-09 Nice sunny day. Made hot water.

08-04-09 Sunny spells. Made some hot water.

09-04-09 Cloudy most of the day.

10-04-09 Sunny spells. Made some hot water.

11-04-09 Sunny spells. Made some hot water.

12-04-09 Away.

13-04-09 Sunny spells. Made some hot water.

14-04-09 Sunny spells. Made some hot water.

15-04-09 Nice sunny day. Made hot water.

16-04-09 Rainy day.

17-04-09 Dull rainy day. System went into sleep mode about 3PM.

18-04-09 Nice sunny day. Made a lot of hot water.

19-04-09 Nice sunny day. Made a lot of hot water.

20-04-09 Best day so far. Four showers, pre-filled the washing machine ( Twice ) dishwasher ( once ) and at 5.30 PM the water in the cylinder is still 48C- 20 cm from the top. No need for the boiler this evening or in the morning.

21-04-09 Similar day to yesterday. Made hot water up till about 5.00PM.

22-04-09 Another sunny day. Made loads of free hot water. Tank temp 53C. Hottest yet.

23-04-09 A bit hazy today but still made plenty of hot water.

24-04-09 Nice sunny day. Made lots of hot water.

25-04-09 Long sunny spells. Made hot water most of the day.

26-04-09 Long sunny spells. Made lots of hot water most of the day.

27-04-09 Dull rainy day with sunny spells. Made some hot water.

28-04-09 Dull rainy day with sunny spells. Made some hot water.

29-04-09 Nice sunny day. Made lots of hot water. Tank temp 55C. Showers,washing machine and never used any gas.

30-04-09 Sunny spells. made hot water. No gas used.

01-05-09 Nice sunny day. Made a lot of hot water. No gas used.

02-05-09 Nice sunny day. Made a lot of hot water. No gas used.

03-05-09 Sunny spells. Made some hot water.

04-05-09 Sunny spells. Made some hot water.

05-05-09 Long sunny spells. Made hot water. No gas used.

06-05-09 Nice sunny day. Made a lot of hot water. No gas used.

07-05-09 Dull start, Then a bit of sun. Then dull again.

08-05-09 Started dull and wet then the sun came out about 1PM and we made a lot of hot water.

No need to use gas today.

09-05-09 Nice hazy/sunny day. Made a lot of hot water. No gas used.

10-05-09 Nice hazy/sunny day. Made a lot of hot water. No gas used.

11-05-09 Nice hazy/sunny day. Made a lot of hot water. No gas used.

12-05-09 Nice hazy/sunny day. Made a lot of hot water. No gas used.

Now using the controller set to auto mode all the time.

13-05-09 Dull chilly day. Had to put the boiler on.

14-05-09 Dull day. Had to use the boiler a bit for hot water.

15-05-09 Hazy sunny spells. Made some hot water.

16-05-09 Hazy sunny spells. Made some hot water.

17-05-09 Hazy sunny spells. Made some hot water.

18-05-09 Sunny rainy sunny rainy all day. Made a lot of hot water though. Warm water coming out of the bottom of the tank. ( the bottom inlet pipe is getting warm ).

19-05-09 Nice sunny day a bit windy. Made a lot of hot water. All had showers and pre-filled the washing machine. Used no gas again today.

20-05-09 Bright sunshine at 9AM this morning. Then it got hazy. Pump has been going all day. Made a lot of hot water. No need to use any gas at all today. Pump is still going now at 6PM. just about to stop I think .

21-05-09 Another good day. Showers, dishwasher and washing machine pre-filled plenty of hot water for the morning and no gas used.

22-05-09 Sunny day. A bit hazy . Made a lot of hot water. 3 lots of washing. I dishwasher. Showers.

No gas used.

23-05-09 Proper summers day now. Plenty of free hot water all day. No gas used.

24-05-09 Plenty of free hot water all day. No gas used.

25-05-09 Day started dull and overcast. Then the sun came out about 1PM and made a full tank of hot water. No gas used.

26-05-09 Stated dull and overcast. Then sun came out at mid-day and made a full tank of hot water.

27-05-09 Dull overcast day. Had to put the dreaded boiler on from 6 to 7 PM to make hot water for the morning.

28-05-09 Warm but overcast. Made a small amount of hot water. Managed not to use the boiler.

29-05-09 Hot sunshine most of the day. Showers pre-filling. No need for the boiler today.

30-05-09 Hot sunshine most of the day. Three loads of washing and one dishwasher pre-fill. All had a shower and there is hot water for the morning. No gas used.

31-05-09 Best day so far this year. Loads of free hot water. No boiler on.

01-06-09 Nice sunny day. loads of free hot water. No boiler on.

02-06-09 Best day yet. Done all the usual. No gas used.

03-06-09 Warm but dull day. Made a small amount of hot water. Water in the tank is still quite warm from yesterday. May get away with it.

04-06-09 Dull overcast day with no direct sunshine. Will have to put the boiler on for an hour this evening.

05-06-09 Dull overcast day with very little direct sunshine. Will have to put the boiler on for an hour this evening.

06-06-09 Sunny spells. Made some hot water , but used a lot. Had to put the boiler on.

07-06-09 Sunny spells all day. Made all our hot water. No gas used.

08-06-09 Long sunny spells. Made all our hot water. No gas used.

09-06-09 Sunny spells. Made some hot water. Had to put the boiler on for 30 min's.

10-06-09 Sunny spell. Made some hot water. No need for the boiler.

11-06-09 Nice sunny day. Made a lot of hot water. Had to get a new dishwasher today. Hotpoint FDF 784P. Have not tried pre-filling yet.

12-06-09 Nice sunny day. Made a lot of hot water.

13-06-09 Hot sunny day. Made a lot of hot water.

14-06-09 Hot sunny day. Made a lot of hot water. Pre-filled the washing machine 4 times. Had enough water as well for 4 showers. No gas used.

15-06-09 Hot stormy overcast sunny day. Made loads of hot water. No gas used.

16-06-09 Hot sunny day. Made loads of hot water by 3PM. No gas used.

17-06-09 Hot sunny spells. Then dull. Made a lot of hot water. No gas used.

18-06-09 Hot sunny spells. Then dull. Made a lot of hot water. No gas used.

19-06-09 Hot sunny spells. Then dull. Made a lot of hot water. No gas used.

20-06-09 Warm sunny spells. Then dull. All had a shower. No gas used.

21-06-09 Hot sunny spells. Then dull. Made a lot of hot water. No gas used. The longest day today.

22-06-09 Hot sunny spells all day. Made a lot of hot water. No gas used.

23-06-09 Hot sunny day. Made a lot of hot water. No gas used.

24-06-09 Hot sunny day. Made a lot of hot water. 3 showers, 1 bath ( small ) Pre-filled washing machine 3 times, and there is still warm water for a shower in the morning. No gas used. Decided to put new bearing in the washing machine today. Cost £ 5.00. Sounds like a new machine now.

25-06-09 Hot sunny day. Made a lot of hot water. No gas used.

26-06-09 Dull at first. Then sunny. Made a lot of hot water. No gas used.

27-06-09 Scorching hot day. Then stormy.Made a lot of hot water. No gas used.

28-06-09 Scorching hot day. Then overcast but hot. Made a lot of hot water. No gas used.

29-06-09 Scorching hot day. Made lots of hot water. No gas used.

30-06-09 Scorching hot day. Having a bit of a heat wave at the moment. The only problem is how to use all the free hot water. System is working a treat.

01-07-09 Another scorching hot day. Loads of free hot water. No gas used.

02-07-09 Scorching hot day. Loads of free hot water. No gas used.

03-07-09 Scorching hot day. Loads of free hot water. No gas used.

04-07-09 Scorching hot day. Loads of free hot water. No gas used.

05-07-09 Scorching hot day. Loads of free hot water. No gas used.

06-07-09 Hot sunny spells all day. Loads of free hot water. No gas used.

07-07-09 Hot sunny spells all day. Heavy rain . Loads of hot water. No gas used.

08-07-09 Sunny spells. Storms. Heavy Rain. Made some hot water. No gas used just about.

09-07-09 Sunny spells. Cloudy. Made some hot water. No gas used just about.

10-07-09 Sunny spells. Plenty of hot water. No gas used.

11-07-09 Warm day, but no sun. Had to put the boiler on for about half an hour. Got a gas bill today from our new supplier British Gas. £2.00. That's only for a month though. Now getting our gas and electricity from British Gas ( Websaver2 ) . I used a web site (moneysupermarket.com) to change over and have been promised a £35.00 cash back that should arrive in a few weeks.

12-07-09 Hot sunny spells all day. Made a lot of hot water. No gas used.

13-07-09 Long hot sunny spells all day. Made a lot of hot water. Pre filled the washing machine a few times. No gas used.

14-07-09 Heavy showers with hot sunny spells all day. Made a lot of hot water . No gas used.

15-07-09 Sunny cloudy sunny cloudy. Made plenty of hot water. No gas used.

16-07-09 Really hot sunny day. Made a lot of hot water. No gas used. Got another gas bill for £2.80. Estimated. It should actually be a bit less than this.

17-07-09 Hot sunshine and storms. Made a lot of hot water. When the sun is out on these days the panel temp shoots up to 90C in a few minutes. No gas used.

18-07-09 Sunny cloudy hot spells. Made a lot of hot water. No gas used.

19-07-09 Dull but windy. Panel still getting to about 60C. Tank temp slowly increasing.

20-07-09 On and off sunny day. Made quite a bit of hot water. No gas used.

21-07-09 Had to put the boiler on for 30 min's. Dull day all day. Pump was going for a while.

22-07-09 Hot sunny spells all day. Made plenty of hot water. No gas used.

23-07-09 Sunny spells. No gas used.

24-07-09 Out all day, but water hot when we came back in the evening. No gas used.

25-07-09 Cloudy with hot sunny spells. Making hot water. Will use no gas today. Turns out to be one of our best days . Sun is really hot . No gas used.

26-07-09 Mild day, but not very sunny. Made some hot water, but had to put the boiler on for about 30 min's.

27-07-09 Dull rainy day so far. Had to put the boiler on first thing for showers. Sun came out about 2PM and made quite a bit of hot water.

28-07-09 Hot sunny spells all day. Made a lot of hot water. No gas used.

29-07-09 Out all day, but water in the tank is quite hot so must have had some sun. Got my final gas bill from EON. Meter reading is ( 3400 ) bill is £52.46. Add this to the two small bills from British Gas, and it comes to £57.30 since 31-03-09.

30-07-09 Cloudy rainy with spells of hot sunshine. Made plenty of hot water. No gas used today.

31-07-09 Nice sunny day. Made loads of hot water. No gas used.

01-08-09 Started sunny then cloudy and rainy all day. Made some hot water first thing, and just about managed. No gas used.

02-08-09 Warm but not hot day. Made quite a bit of hot water. No gas used.

03-08-09 Started off hot sun. Then a bit dull. Then hot sunshine most of the afternoon. Made a lot of hot water. No gas used.

04-08-09 Out all day. Water in the tank has recovered after the mornings showers so must have been a bit sunny. Was raining when we left this morning. No need to use any gas.

05-08-09 Dull and overcast most of the day, but you can feel the infra red. Conservatory is boiling and all dark metal is quite warm to the touch. Made plenty of hot water without the sun shinning. No gas used.

06-08-09 Really good day. Used a lot of hot water by 2 PM and tank is still quite hot. Pre-filled the washing machine 3 times. No need to use any gas today.

07-08-09 Daughter really gives the water a belting last night, and there is no sun this morning, so I had to put the boiler on for 30 min's. then the sun came out all afternoon.

08-08-09 Hot sunny day. Loads of hot water. No gas used.

09-08-09 Hot sunny day. Loads of hot water. No gas used.

10-08-09 Starts out nice sunny day then gets dull and cloudy. Made hot water in the morning. No gas used so far. If its sunny in the morning we may get away with it.

11-08-09 Started off dull and overcast, then sun came out about 11 AM, and it was a hot sunny day. Made lots of hot water. Cylinder full, with hot water coming out of the bottom. No gas used.

12-08-09 Used most of the hot water early, then went out for the day. By 7.00 PM cylinder was full again. No gas used.

13-08-09 Cloudy with really hot sunny spells. Used loads of hot water , and cylinder is full again by 6.00 PM. No gas used.

14-08-09 All had showers, then went out for the day. Came back and cylinder was full of really hot water had more showers. No gas used.

15-08-09 Another hot day. Not sunny all the time , but made a lot of hot water. No gas used today.

16-08-09 Another hot day. Made a lot of hot water. No gas used today.Gas spend this week .12p

17-08-09 Scorcher. more hot water than we can use. No gas used.

18-08-09 Scorcher.

19-08-09 Scorcher.

20-08-09 Not so hot today, but still made a tank full of hot water. No gas used.

21-08-09 Not so hot, buy made a tank of hot water. No gas used.

22-08-09 4 showers and still got a tank full of hot water by 3PM. No gas used.

23-08-09 Scorcher.Gas spend this week .24p

24-08-09 Dull, but panel quite hot so far. Made hot water. No gas used.

25-08-09 Dull day with hot sunny spells. Made hot water. No gas used.

26-08-09 Dull day with hot sunny spells. Made hot water. No gas used.

27-08-09 Nice day with hot sunny spells. Made hot water. No gas used.

28-08 09 Showers then went out all day. Came back to a full tank of hot water so must have been sunny. No gas used.

29-08-09 Dull day with sunny spells. No gas used.

30-08-09 Dull day just about managed not to use any gas.Gas spend this week .08p

31-08-09 Scorcher.

01-09-09 Dull day with sunny spells. No gas used.

02-09-09 Dull day with sunny spells. Used quite a bit of hot water. Will just about manage without using gas today. Just noticed that the year of keeping this diary is up. Got to decide if there is any point in keeping it going, it will probably just repeat.

03-09-09 Had to put the boiler on first thing, then sun came out and topped up the cylinder.

04-09-09 Dull with sunny spells. No need to use gas today.

05-09-09 Nice sunny start, then clouded over about 4PM. No need for gas today. Had to scrap an old car that had a nearly new battery. So I swapped it for the gell battery I have been using. This will give better endurance for the controller during cold spells to come. Old battery was sufficient though.

06-09-09 Hazy to bright sunshine all day. Plenty of hot water. No gas used.Gas spend this week .48p

07-09-09 Nice sunny day. Plenty of hot water. No gas used.

08-09-09iScorcher.

09-09-09cDull to start with then sunny. No gas used

10-09-09 Nice sunny day. No gas used.

11-09-09 Nice sunny day. No gas used.

12-09-09 Nice sunny day. No gas used.

13-09-09 Dull overcast day. Had to put the boiler on first thing.Gas spend this week .50p

14-09-09sDull overcast day. Had to put the boiler on for 30 minutes first thing.

15-09-09 Dull overcast day. Had to put the boiler on for 30 minutes first thing.

16-09-09 Dull to start with, then sunny. Boiler on for 30 mins first thing.

17-09-09 Dull day, but no gas used.

18-09-09 Dull with sunny spells. No gas used.

19-09-09 Almost a scorcher. Sun getting lower in the sky. No gas used. start

20-09-09 Warm sunny day. No gas used. Gas spend this week £1.43p

21-09-09 Warm sunny day. No gas used.

22-09-09 Scorcher.

23-09-09 Warm but mostly overcast day. Not much hot water made.

24-09-09 Had to put the boiler on first thing for 30 minutes. Then the sun came out all day.

25-09-09 Scorcher.

26-09-09 Scorcher.

27-09-09 Scorcher.

28-09-09 Dull day with sunny spells. No gas used. Gas spend this week .19p

29-09-09 Boiler on first thing for 30 mins. Then nice sunny day.

30-09-09 Dull day nothing doing. Had to put the boiler on in the evening for about an hour.

01-10-09 Dull day with sunny spells. Made some hot water. Boiler on in the evening for an hour.

02-10-09 Nice sunny day. Made a tank full of hot water. Boiler on in the evening for an hour to warm the place up.

03-10-09 Dull windy day. But managed without the boiler. No gas used.

04-10-09 Dull to start, with sunny spells in the afternoon. Had showers later. No gas used.

05-10-09 Had to put the boiler on from 6 till 6.30 AM then dull rainy day. No free hot water. Gas spend this week £1.37.

06-10-09 Dull rainy day. No free hot water.

07-10-09 Dull rainy day. No free hot water.

08-10-09 Hot sunshine all day after a cold night. Made a lot of hot water.

09-10-09 A bit of sunshine to begin then a dull afternoon. Made some hot water to begin with.

10-10-09 Sunny spells. Made some hot water.

11-10-09 Sunny spells. made some hot water. Having to put the boiler on each evening for a while to warm the place up a bit.

12-10-09 Nice sunny day. Made a tank full of hot water. Gas spend this week £2.41.

13-10-09 Nice sunny day. Made a full tank of hot water.

14-10-09 Sunny spell about mid-day. Made some hot water. not much.

15-10-09 Nice sunny day. Made a full tank of hot water.

16-10-09 Dull for most of the day. Made some hot water. Not much.

17-10-09 Dull day. Nothing doing . Using a web site ( http://www.imeasure.org.uk ) to work out our weekly gas spend. Still not got my cash back cheque from ( moneysupermarket.com).

18-10-09 Nice sunny day. Made some hot water.

19-10-09 Chilly dull day. Plenty of cloud. Gas spend this week £ 3.41.

20-10-09 Chilly dull day. Plenty of cloud.

21-10-09 Chilly dull day. Plenty of cloud.

22-10-09 Hazy sunshine. Made some hot water.

23-10-09 Nice sunny day. Made plenty of hot water.

24-10-09 Mild but dull day. Nothing doing.

25-10-09 Nice sunny day. Made plenty of hot water.

26-10-09 Cloudy with sunny spells. Made some hot water. Gas spend this week £4.25

27-10-09 Cloudy with sunny spells. Made some hot water.

28-10-09 Nice sunny day. Made plenty of hot water.

29-10-09 Nice sunny day. Made some hot water.

30-10-09 Sunny first thing then dull. Made some hot water. Not much.

01-11-09 Dull rainy day.

02-11-09 Cold night and morning but, the sun is out and panel is up to 80C. Making plenty of hot water today. Gas spend this week is £4.49. Got my gas bill today up to 30-10-09 £35.49.

03-11-09 Cold night, wet morning with a bit of sun in the afternoon. Made some hot water. Got a letter from British Gas today. They want to change my meter. Must think I am fiddling some way because I am using so little gas. Girl said on the phone that even a pilot light would use more. Don't have a pilot light I said.

04-11-09 Cold night, then strong sunlight most of the day. Made plenty of hot water.

05-11-09 Chilly dull day. Nothing doing. Finally got the cash back cheque ( £30.00 ) from Moneysupermarket. Almost pays for my gas bill.

06-11-09 Dull overcast day.

07-11-09 Dull overcast day. Sunny spells. Not much.

08-11-09 Dull overcast day.

09-11-09 Cold and dull in the morning. With sunny spells in the afternoon. Made some hot water. Not much. Gas spend this week £8.17.

10-11-09 Dull overcast day.

11-11-09 Dull day. Sunny spells.

12-11-09 Started off sunny. made some hot water. then clouded over.

13-11-09 Dull day. Sunny spells.

14-11-09 Strong winds and heavy rain. Panel standing up to it OK.

15-11-09 Quite a sunny day. Made some hot water.

16-11-09 Windy rainy dull miserable day. Made some hot water around lunchtime. Gas spend this week £8.56.

17-11-09 Not very warm, but sunny all day. Made a full tank of hot water.

18-11-09 Dull windy day.

19-11-09 New gas meter fitted today. Mild day with sunny spells. Made some hot water.

20-11-09 Dull rainy day.

21-11-09 Dull rainy day. Some sunny spells.

22-11-09 Dull rainy day. Some sunny spells. New meter fitted so can't do gas spend this week. Meter reading ( 0011 ) cm3

23-11-09 Dull rainy day. Some sunny spells.

24-11-09 Dull rainy windy day.

25-11-09 Heavy rain and strong winds all night. Panel and roof fixings standing up to it well. Sunny all day. Made about half a tank of hot water. Sun low in the sky and not so hot now.

26-11-09 Heavy rain and wind all night again. Then sunny all day. Made some hot water.

27-11-09 Windy rainy sunny spells. Made some hot water. Not a great amount. Panel gets up to about 60C sometime during the day.

28-11-09 Rainy day with sunny spells. Made some hot water. Not much.

29-11-09 Rainy windy day. Nothing doing.

Now using this formula to work out gas consumption

( Units cm3 * 39.4633 * 1.0226400 / 3.6 = ( kwh used) )

30-11-09 Dull rainy day. Meter reading ( 0043 ) cm3

= 0043-0011= 32cm3 = 32*39.4633*1.0226400/3.6 = ( 358 kwh ) used this week.

01-12-09 Cold day but clear sky. Sunny all day. Made quite a bit of hot water.

02-12-09 Raining all day just about .

03-12-09 Dull rainy day.

04-12-09 Cold day but clear sky with sunshine. Pump going from 10AM. Making some hot water.

05-12-09 Sunny to start with. Made a small amount of hot water. Then cloudy rainy all day.

06-12-09 Chilly day with long sunny spells. Made quite a bit of hot water.

07-12-09 Dull overcast day. Nothing doing. Meter reading ( 0077 ) cm3

( 0034 ) cm3 = ( 381 kwh ) used this week.

08-12-09 Sunny from 10AM till 1PM. made quite a bit of hot water.

09-12-09 Dull day with hazy sunshine. Nothing doing.

10-12-09 Nice sunny day. Made some hot water. Got the ladders out today, and had a look at the panel. Everything looks good. No holes in the plastic and no condensation inside. No rust on the fixing brackets.

11-12-09 Dull cold day.

12-12-09 Small amount of sun about mid day not much. Using gas like mad at the moment.

13-12-09 Cold dull rainy day. Nothing doing.

14-12-09 Meter reading ( 0112 ) cm3 = ( 0035 ) cm3 = ( 392 kwh ) used this week. Looks like a cold dull day. Then at 11 AM the sun comes out and we start making some hot water.

15-12-09 Cold with bright sunshine. Making hot water.

16-12-09 Cold dull rainy day.

17-12-09 Cold dull snowy day. Panel must be frozen. Controller in sleep mode. Just like a Tortoise using very little energy.

18-12-09 Snow.

19-12-09 Cold and icy with bright sunshine. Panel got up to about 65C at one point. Made some hot water.

20-12-09 Cold and icy day with strong sunshine for about 4 hours. Panel gets up to about 60C. Although the water is not that hot, the pump is going most of the time, gradually filling the cylinder with usable hot water.

21-12-09 Shortest day today. Meter reading ( 0167 ) cm3 = ( 0055 ) cm3 = ( 616 kwh ) used this week. OUCH !

22-12-09 Dull cold day.

23-12-09 Dull rainy day.

24-12-09 Dull day

25-12-09 Weak sunshine some pumping about 1 PM.

26-12-09 Very weak sunshine.

27-12-09 Cloudy with bright sunny spells. Started pumping about 10 AM till 11.30 AM.

28-12-09 Weak sunshine some pumping. Not much. Meter reading ( 0213 ) cm3

= ( 0046 ) = ( 515 kwh ) used this week.

29-12-09 Dull rainy day.

30-12-09 Dull rainy day.

31-12-09 Dull cold day.

01-01-10 Cold day with bright sunshine. Pumping from early on. Hard to work out how much hot water is made on these days. But anything from the sun is welcome.

02-01-10 Cold day with bright sunshine. Pumping from early on.

03-01-10 Cold day with bright sunshine. Pumping from early on

04-01-10 Meter reading ( 0262 ) cm3 = ( 0049 ) = ( 549 kwh ) used this week. System is working well. Panel is freezing at night and controller goes into sleep mode. Then wakes up and starts pumping about 11AM. Battery keeping charged to about 12.8 volts. Even on a really cold day like today panel is getting up to 60C when the sun is shinning. Sky is very clear on these cold days. Made quite a lot of hot water today surprisingly. Pump was still going at 3PM. quite warm water coming out of the bottom of the cylinder.

05-01-10 Similar cold day but sun is hazy. Very little pumping.

06-01-10 Cold snowy day.

07-01-10 Cold snowy day.

08-01-10 Cold snowy day.

09-01-10 Cold snowy day.

10-01-10 Cold snowy day. Dread to think what the gas meter reading will be in the morning.

11-01-10 Cold overcast day. Meter reading ( 0321 ) cm3 = ( 0059 ) = ( 661 kwh ) used this week.

12-01-10 Dull cold day.

13-01-10 Dull cold day.

14-01-10 Dull day.

15-01-10 Hazy sunshine for a while. Controller wakes up after about a week ,but panel only gets up to 25C so no free hot water today.

16-01-10 Dull day.

17-01-10 Cold day with steady sunshine. Panel temp up to 75C. Made some hot water.

18-01-10 Cold overcast day. Meter reading ( 0368 ) cm3 = ( 0047 ) = ( 526 kwh ) used this week.

19-01-10 Cold overcast day.

20-01-10 Cold overcast day.

21-01-10 Out all day, but made some hot water, must have been sunny.

22-01-10 Dull day.

23-01-10 Dull day.

24-01-10 Dull day.

25-01-10 Dull day. Meter reading ( 0411 ) cm3 = ( 0043 ) = ( 482 kwh ) used this week.

26-01-10 Cold day then the sun comes out about 1 PM and there's pumping for about 2 hours.

27-01-10 Dull day.

28-01-10 Pumping for an hour around 1PM. Made some hot water.

29-01-10 Dull day.

30-01-10 Bright strong sunshine from early on. Panel soon up to 85C. Making a full tank of hot water today.

31-01-10 Bright strong sunshine. Made some hot water.

01-02-10 Bright strong sunshine from early on. Pump starts at 10 AM. Meter reading ( 0459 ) cm3 = ( 0048 ) = ( 538 kwh ) used this week. Made a full tank of hot water today.

02-02-10 Dull rainy day.

03-02-10 Dull rainy day.

04-02-10 Dull rainy day. Gas bill paid today 31-10-09 to 28-01-10 £ 188.25.

05-02-10 Mild but quite sunny day. Made quite a bit of hot water.

06-02-10 Mild sunny day. Made quite a bit of hot water.

07-02-10 Cold dull day.

08-02-10 Cold dull day. Meter reading ( 0498 ) cm3 Note new formula for kwh conversion = cm3 * 39.3368 * 1.0226400 / 3.6 = kwh. = ( 0039 ) = ( 435 kwh ) used this week.

09-02-10 Cold day with long sunny spells. Made some hot water.

10-02-10 Cold snowy day with long sunny spells. Made some hot water.

11-02-10 Freezing cold day with strong sunlight from 9AM. Cylinder is full with hot water by 1AM and pump is still going.

12-02-10 Made some hot water for a while.

13-02-10 Dull rainy day.

14-02-10 Dull rainy day.

15-02-10 Dull overcast day mostly. Some pumping. Not much. Meter reading ( 0545 ) cm3 = ( 0047 ) = ( 525 kwh ) used this week.

16-02-10 Heavy rain all day.

17-02-10 Nice sunny day. Pump going for several hours. Made a lot of hot water.

18-02-10 Dull day.

19-02-10 Dull day. Some sunny spells. Some pumping.

20-02-10 Cold frosty night, but bright sunny day. Made a full tank of hot water.

21-02-10 Dull day

22-02-10 Dull rainy day. Meter reading ( 0584 ) cm3 = ( 0039 ) = ( 435 kwh ) used this week.

23-02-10 Heavy rain all day.

24-02-10 Dull day mostly. A small amount of pumping.

25-02-10 Dull rainy day.

26-02-10 Sunny day just about. Pump starts at 10.30 PM till about 2PM.

27-02-10 Sunny spells. Some pumping throughout the day.

28-02-10 Dull rainy day

01-03-10 Meter reading ( 0623 ) cm3 = ( 0039 ) = ( 435 kwh ) used this week. Nice sunny day. Made a full tank of really hot water by 1PM.

02-03-10 Nice sunny day. Made a full tank of hot water. Pre-filled the washing machine 3 times.

03-03-10 Cold breezy chilly day. A few sunny spells. Made some hot water. Not much.

04-03-10 Cloudy and chilly to start off. Then sunny spells from 10.45 AM till 3 PM. Made some hot water.

05-03-10 Cold day, but bright sunshine. Pumping from 10 AM will make a full tank today.

06-03-10 Cold day, Hazy sunshine with some clear spells. Made some hot water.

07-03-10 Cold day. Bright sunshine. Pump going from 10.30 AM.

08-03-10 Meter reading ( 0663 ) cm3 = ( 0040) = ( 446 kwh ) used this week. Cold day with bright sunshine. Pump going from 9.30 AM.

09-03-10 Dull cold overcast day.

10-03-10 Dull cold overcast day with some pumping about 12 AM. Not much.

11-03-10 Dull cold overcast day.

12-03-10 Dull overcast day. Sun is trying to come out.

13-03-10 Sunny spells. Made some hot water.

14-03-10 Sunny spells. Made some hot water.

15-03-10 Meter reading ( 0698 ) cm3 = ( 0035 ) = ( 391 kwh ) used this week. Cold but sunny day. Pump started at 9 AM. Made a full tank of hot water.

16-03-10 Nice sunny day. Ist time this year I never had to put the boiler on this morning. Pump going from 9.30 AM . Made a full tank of hot water. Changed my gas and electricity tarrif to Websaver6.

17-03-10 Nice sunny day. Pump going from 10 AM.

18-03-10 No boiler on this morning. Hazy sunshine. Pump going from 10 AM. Made some hot water.

19-03-10 Overcast dull day.

20-03-10 Dull rainy day.

21-03-10 Hazy sunshine. Pump started at 1 PM. Made some hot water.

22-03-10 Meter reading ( 0720 ) = ( 0022 ) = ( 245 kwh ) used this week. Sunny spells all day. Pump going from 9.30 AM.

23-03-10 Nice sunny morning. made some hot water. Hazy sunshine from 1 PM.

24-03-10 Hazy sunshine with sunny spells. Made some hot water.

25-03-10 Dull rainy day. Then the sun came out and the pump started at 11 AM

26-03-10 Long sunny spells all day. Making hot water.

27-03-10 Some sunny spells. Made some hot water.

28-03-10 Sunny spells. Made some hot water.

29-03-10 Meter reading ( 0741 ) = ( 0021 ) = ( 234 kwh ) used this week. Dull overcast day. Some pumping in the afternoon. Not much.

30-03-10 Dull day mostly. Some pumping in the afternoon. Not much.

31-03-10 Dull cold day.

01-04-10 Dull day with sunny spells. Some pumping. Not much.

02-04-10 Dull rainy day with sunny spells. Some pumping.

03-04-10 Dull day with sunny spells. Some pumping.

04-04-10 Still a bit cold with sunny spells. Some pumping.

05-04-10 Meter reading ( 0775 ) = ( 0034 ) = ( 379 kwh ) used this week. Dull windy day with sunny spells. Some pumping.

06-04-10 Nice warm sunny day. A bit hazy. Pumping from early on. System working well.

07-04-10 Dull rainy day.

08-04-10 Really nice sunny day. Pumping from early on. Made a full tank of hot water.

09-04-10 Really nice sunny day. Pumping from early on. Made a full tank of hot water by 1PM.

10-04-10 Nice sunny day. Pumping from early on.

11-04-10 Nice sunny day. Pumping from 9.30 AM. Plenty of free hot water.

12-04-10 Meter reading ( 0789 ) = ( 0014 ) = ( 156 kwh ) used this week. A bit chilly with hazy sunshine. Pump going from 9.30 AM.

13-04-10 Nice hazy sunny day. Pump going from 9 AM.

14-04-10 Hazy overcast day. Sun comes out about 2 PM and fills the tank with hot water for an hour or so.

15-04-10 Hazy sunshine. Pump going from 10 AM. Making steady hot water. Not an Aeroplane in the sky.

16-04-10 Chilly day with long spells of hazy sunshine. Pump going from 10 AM. Will make a full tank today.

17-04-10 Really nice sunny day. Pump going from early on. Making a lot of free hot water.

18-04-10 Really nice sunny day. Making a lot of hot water.

19-04-10 Meter readings ( 0803 ) = ( 0014 ) = ( 156 kwh ) used this week. Day starts off dull, then the sun comes out and the pump starts from 10 am. Making a full tank of hot water.

20-04-10 A bit chilly, but long sunny spells. Pump going from 9 AM.

21-04-10 Chilly day again, but long sunny spells. Pump gong from 9 AM. Made a full tank of really hot water by 3PM.

22-04-10 Same thing again just about.

23-04-10 Same thing again.

24-04-10 Same thing again, but warmer. Chill gone.

25-04-10 Nice sunny day. Pump going all day.

26-04-10 Meter reading. ( 0815 ) = ( 0012 ) = ( 134 kwh ) used this week.

27-04-10 A bit hazy, but pump going all day. Making hot water.

28-04-10 Same thing again.

29-04-10 Hazy sunshine, pump going all day.

30-04-10 Same thing again

01-05-10 Quite hot sunshine. Pump going up till 4 PM.

02-05-10 Dull rainy day.

03-05-10 Meter reading. ( 0824 ) = ( 0009 ) = ( 100 kwh ) used this week. Cold again, with sunny spells. Made some hot water.

04-05-10 Not very warm, but long sunny spells. Made some hot water.

05-05-10 Still a bit cold, but long sunny spells. Making quite a bit of hot water. Having to put the boiler on in the evenings to warm the house up a bit.

06-05-10 Election day. Nice sunny day. Pump going from 9.30 AM. Made a full tank.

07-05-10 Sunny start. pump going up till 1.30 AM.

08-05-10 Dull overcast day.

09-05-10 Dull overcast day.

10-05-10 Meter reading. ( 0845 ) = ( 0021 ) = ( 234 kwh ) used this week. Gas bill £ 143.36 Excluding VAT. Chilly , but sunny. Pump going from 9.30 AM.

11-05-10 Sunny spells. Some pumping.

12-05-10 Sunny spells. Some pumping.

13-05-10 Long sunny spells all day made hot water.

14-05-10 Chilly with long sunny spells. Making hot water all day.

15-05-10 Chilly with long sunny spells. Making hot water all day.

16-05-10 Dull then sunny then heavy rain. Made some hot water.

17-05-10 Meter reading. ( 0860 ) = ( 0015 ) = ( 167 kwh ) used this week. Cloudy with long sunny spells. Made hot water most of the day.

18-05-10 Cloudy with long sunny spells. Made some hot water.

19-05-10 Warm muggy day with long sunny spells. Made a full tank. No need for the boiler at all.

20-05-10 Nice sunny day. Making lots of free hot water all day.

21-05-10 Hot sunny day. Making lots of free hot water.

22-05-10 Hot sunny day. Making lots of free hot water.

23-05-10 Scorching hot day. Made loads of free hot water.

24-05-10 Meter reading. ( 0862 ) = ( 0002 ) = ( 22 kwh ) used this week. Hot sunny day. Making hot water from 9 AM.

25-05-10 Cooler today, but sunny. Making plenty of hot water.

Using the formular: 1 cm3 = 1 * 39.3368 * 1.0226400 / 3.6 = 11.17 kwh

1 cm3 = 11.17 kwh

2 cm3 = 22.34 kwh

3 cm3 = 33.53 kwh

4 cm3 = 44.69 kwh

5 cm3 = 55.87 kwh

6 cm3 = 67.04 kwh

7 cm3 = 78.21 kwh

8 cm3 = 89.39 kwh

9 cm3 = 100.56 kwh

10 cm3 = 111.74 kwh

26-05-10 Cool day with long sunny spells. Made plenty of hot water.

27-05-10 A bit warmer with steady heat comming from the panel all day.

28-05-10 Warm day with long sunny spells. Pump going from 9.15 AM.

29-05-10 Dull rainy overcast day. Some pumping about 3PM, not much.

30-05-10 Dull overcast day. Some pumping. Not much. Blue tits left the nest-box today. Crow got one within minutes.

31-05-10 Meter reading ( 0866 ) = ( 0004 ) = ( 44 kwh ) used this week . Dull overcast day.

01-06-10 Dull rainy day.

02-06-10 Nice hot sunny day. Pump going all day.

03-06-10 Nice hot sunny day. Pump going all day.

04-06-10 Nice hot sunny day. Pump going all day. Making loads of free hot water.

05-06-10 Nice hot sunny day. Pump going all day.

06-06-10 Cloudy with showers most of the day. Some pumping in the afternoon.

07-06-10 Meter reading ( 0870 ) = ( 0004 ) = ( 44 kwh ) used this week. Cloudy overcast day, but quite strong infra red keeping the pump going on and off most of the day.

08-06-10 Dull and rainy to start, then sunny from 11 am. Pump going most of the day.

09-06-10 Sunny spells some pumping.

10-06-10 Dull overcast day.

11-06-10 Dull overcast day.

12-06-10 Sunny spells some pumping.

13-06-10 Sunny spells some pumping.

14-06-10 Meter reading ( 0873 ) = ( 0003 ) = ( 33kwh ) used this week. Hot sunny spells with steady pumping.

15-06-10 Chilly day with long sunny spells. Made hot water most of the day.

16-06-10 Nice sunny day. Made hot water all day.

17-06-10 Nice sunny day. Made hot water all day.

18-06-10 Dull overcast day. Some pumping.

19-06-10 Dull overcast day. Panel still getting quite hot. Some pumping .

20-06-10 Dull overcast day. Panel still getting quite hot. Some pumping all day.

21-06-10 Meter reading ( 0874 ) = ( 0001 ) = ( 11kwh ) used this week. Sunny spells all day. Making steady hot water. The longest day today.

22-06-10 Scorcher

23-06-10 Scorcher

24-06-10 Scorcher

25-06-10 A bit cloudy with long sunny spells. Pump going all day.

26-06-10 Scorcher

27-06-10 Scorcher

28-06-10 Meter reading ( 0875 ) = ( 0001 ) = ( 11 kwh ) used this week. Hot sunny day. Pump going from 9 AM.

29-06-10 Scorcher. Pump going all day.

30-06-10 Long sunny spells. Pump going all day.

01-07-10 Not so sunny, but hot. Pump going all day.

02-07-10 Scorcher. Pump going all day.

03 07-10 A bit overcast, but very warm. Pump going all day.

04-07-10 Pump going all day.

05-07-10 Meter reading ( 0876 ) = ( 0001) = ( 11 kwh ) used this week. Pump going all day.

06-07-10 Pump going all day.

07-07-10 Pump going all day. Using very little gas at the moment. Just for cooking.

08-07-10 Hot sunny day. Hottest yet.

09-07-10 Hot sunny day.

10-07-10 Hot sunny day.

11-07-10 Not so hot, but pump going all day.

12-07-10 Meter reading ( 0876 ) = ( 0000 ) = ( 0 kwh ) used this week. Not so hot, but pump going all day.

13-07-10 Overcast day. Some pumping.

14-07-10 Overcast with sunny spells. Some pumping.

15-07-10 Overcast with sunny spells. Some pumping.

16-07-10 Overcast with long sunny spells. Some pumping. Gas bill £ 34.30. Not bad.

17-07-10 Overcast with long sunny spells. Some pumping all day.

18-07-10 Nice sunny day. Pump going all day.

19-07-10 Meter reading ( 0878 ) = ( 0002 ) = ( 22 kwh ) used this week. Hot sunny day. Pump going all day.

20-07-10 Really warm sunny day. Pump going all day.

21-07-10 Really warm sunny day. Pump going all day.

22-07-10 Really warm sunny day. Pump going all day.

23-07-10 Slow start, then warm sunny day. Pump going from 11 AM.

24-07-10 Slow start, then hot sunny day. Pump going all day.

25-07-10 Hot sunny spells all day.

26-07-10 Meter reading ( 0879 ) = ( 0001 ) = ( 11 kwh ) used this week. Pump going all day.

27-07-10 Hot muggy day. Pump going even when the suns not out.

28-07-10 Hot sunny day. Pump going all day.

29-07-10

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