Based on the best selling BoilerMate thermal store that is now a standard feature in many new homes, there are three appliances in the range: BoilerMate mCHP for micro Combined Heat & Power (mCHP), BoilerMate Sol for use with solar energy sources, and BoilerMate HP for use with heat pumps.

Each of the appliances enables the renewable or alternative energy source to be used for space heating and hot water, and employs a special control programme to accurately monitor the input to the main domestic system and balance it against the energy produced by renewable or alternative energy sources and other elements of the system, such as a gas, oil or electric boiler.

Importantly, all the BoilerMate appliances are also equipped with Gledhill’s unique SWITCH stand-by electrical ‘boiler’ power unit to supplement the heat output of the mCHP engine, solar panels or heat pump, ensuring that in periods of high simultaneous demand, the householder is never without hot water or heating. In the event of the primary energy sources failing to operate for any reason, SWITCH can also provide back-up heating and hot water.

The BoilerMate range for renewable and alternative energy sources ensures that the householder does not have to sacrifice comfort and reliability when using the alternative or renewable energy sources. It delivers highly responsive central heating and mains pressure hot water for power shower performance, and comes with a reputation for reliability built on thousands of installations across the UK.

The BoilerMate Sol and BoilerMate HP each follow the same basic principal, providing a thermal store to capture the heat generated by renewable energy sources, and enabling it to be used for heating and hot water.

In the case of BoilerMate Sol the energy source is sunlight, harvested via solar panels to provide a steady stream of low-level energy that must be captured for use later. Thermal storage has already proved itself the most effective method of storing solar energy, and although most productive in summer, solar panels can effectively reduce energy costs in autumn and spring by raising the temperature of the water in the BoilerMate store and reducing the energy input required from, for example, a condensing gas boiler.