Solar thermal - what's the cost ?

[didireallysaythat]

We hope to move into a property with an old but functioning oil boiler (21 years?). There's now mains gas so if we were to replace the boiler we could switch. I also want to rejig the bathroom and the kitchen so the water tank will be moved and probably replaced.

But what I'd really like to do is to put solar thermal panels on the (south facing, no trees in the way) roof. We're a house of four, there's one bathroom, but I don't have a clue on the cost of these things. I think a new heating system will be around £5000+ (and I'm assuming an extra £500-750 to hook up to mains gas) but how much extra should the large water tank, the two solar panels and the associated plumbing/engineering costs come to ? I'm talking ball park figures here.... Will I need to sell a child ?

No idea of UK prices, sorry, but we were quoted between CAD$ 6-9k, so in the region of what you expect your new heating system to cost...

no exact idea but at the moment subsidies are down and panel prices still high. The prices of the latter should fall in the next year or so, keep an eye on it.

lot to this and an industry that attracts cowboys, so be careful!

I wasn't sure that solar thermal had subsidies - only solar electric (if you see what I mean). The latter makes little sense for us as we're not in during the day..

Which? Magazine says £3-5k - good guide to buying renewables on their website.

Wonky - thanks ! £4800 average with a potential grant of £600 before March 2014.

Presumably I'm going to need a large(special?) water tank to store the hot water...

We did ours DIY, cost was £2800, including a new tank and all the bits you need, but it did involve clambering around on the roof in a precarious way. £5K installed plus the cost of a tank (500 - 800) seems about ballpark.