Many opt for solar water-heating panels, which essentially are like large radiators on a roof, and use the solar energy to heat water. These are heavy and because of the weight householders will require some engineering advice on the loadbearing capacity of the roof. A lighterweight option for solar water-heating is the evacuated tube system, which is used for hot water and underfloor heating. Because the air has been evacuated, the water boils at a lower temperature, and the heat goes through a manifold (heat exchanger) to make it usable for heating.

Depending on heating requirements, you can have between 20 and 80 of these evacuated tubes in a line - although a 32-tube panel should be enough for the hot water requirements of a house. However, if home heating is a requirement, these panels should only be used with underfloor heating - radiator heat will usually require an additional wood burner or other fuel heating system.

"People use flat panels because of the aesthetic, " said Mostyn Powell of Solarite. "Flat panels can be part of the roof itself, so they tend to be used for the front elevation.

"But where aesthetics are not so important, such as at the back of the house, then evacuated tubes should be used because they are between 25% and 40% more efficient than flat panels."

There are some safety requirements and an anti-scald valve will need to be put in place because the temperature gets quite high. Finally, PV panels (photovoltaic modules) use the power of the sun to generate electricity. But until a system is put in place to buy the excess energy from a home, these will probably remain very much a niche part of the market.

Also, the amount of energy produced is usually not enough for full domestic needs, so you would have to half-wire your house with, for example, the solar hooked up to the lights - which would hardly be worth the effort.

Contact Solarite Ireland (all solar heating and energy needs, as well as geothermal and biomass systems) on 042 9358002 or visit www. solarite. eu