If you have been planning to add a bit of self sufficiency to your UK home you might have a few questions. One of them might be do I still need a boiler with solar water heating panels. It might not necessarily be possible when taking the country's climate into consideration, you may also require additional systems that can cope with this new direction.

If you purchase the correct solar heating system in style and size then you could be looking at providing up to 60% of your hot water requirements in any one year. It will not make you completely self sufficient in one fell swoop but it is a really positive start and eats away at a huge chunk of your utility bills and carbon footprint. It is one of the easiest ways we can move forward and do our bit for the world's future and make our lives ever more greener.

Of course, this suggests that there is another 40% of your hot water requirements to make up. A system can be put in place that can convert both direct and diffused sunlight into energy, and then later on to heat. This can then be used to produce the temperatures that you use from day to day in your home.

Although it provides a better financial and environmental future for your household, it does require plumbing and heating expertise to install and maintain over time. Modern boilers are designed and installed in such a way that a solar panelling system can be plugged in to it and combine their every day usage in the best possible way.

Do I still need a boiler with solar water heating panels. The answer to that is most probably yes. Due to the climate in the UK you are likely to still need a boiler, but there are options to compliment an existing system and produce over half your required annual usage.