Tom, who lives in the Stafford area bought a solar thermal system from Solar Horizons in March 2007. It consists of two flat plate collectors on the roof, an extra large (500 litre) hot water cylinder with extra thick foam insulation, and electronic controls which indicate the water temperature and make the system extremely easy to operate and monitor.
The large cylinder keeps water hot for well over 24 hours, and ensures plenty of hot 
water even when the weather is variable. It supplied all Tom’s needs from March to November last year, and made a substantial difference to his gas bills. He expects the stated 15 – 20 years payback time to be much less in practice, with escalating fuel costs.
Regarding the installation, it took about two days. Tom says “I was impressed – it was so easy – no mess, no hassle. Gary paid a courtesy visit a few days later to check that everything was working.”
Tom chose Solar Horizons because they are a relatively local company who gave sound technical advice and obviously knew exactly what to specify.