How To Install A Cost Effective Solar Heating System At Home

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Usage of solar energy to heat water or room space is called solar heating system. The basic requirement for this system is availability of sunny location to solar collectors to be installed. Solar heating system was introduced first by a Jewish in Israel in 1952 and works in two different styles:

Sun radiation is directly used to heat water or room space with the help of thermodynamic collector. This technique is called Active Solar Heating System.

Second technique is Passive Solar Heating system. No electrical or mechanical equipments are used to collect and provide heat to the building.


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How does solar heating system work?

The radiation from the sun is transformed into heat using a solar heating system. This process is done with five major components:

  1. Collectors
  2. Circulation system
  3. Storage tank
  4. Backup heating system
  5. Control system

Two types of heaters are used in solar heating system:

Solar air heaters:

Solar air heaters take external heat, warm it and then blow it into the house. Powered by the sun, these heaters provide the air which is free of moist or with very low moist which help to reduce humidity the house. Internal moist air is displaced with warmed, dry, and fresh air through ventilation.

Solar water heaters:

Solar water heating system use collectors which collect the heat from the sun and transfer it to water to warm the heating system. Warm water is then stored in a hot water cylinder. The collectors in this system will have water in them only when the pump is operating. So in case of power failure, there will be no fluid in the collector to carry on the process.

If the warmed water does not reach the required temperature, you can use boiler to heat the water further.

Solar water heating should not be confused with the idea of electricity produced with the sun. Anyhow some new techniques are being applied for the use of solar electricity to heat the home space or water.

Requirements to install solar heating system at home:

Services of an expert are necessary to size and balance effectively, and install solar water heating system. This project is not suitable for people interested in setting up DIY solar heating systems. Look for an installer or company that has plumbing and heating certification.

Make sure that you have a sunny place to install a solar system. You will need roof space which faces east to west through south.

Choose a collector for the system. You can choose among two types of solar collectors, Flat Plate Collectors and Evacuated Tube Collectors. Evacuated tubes in an evacuated tube collector have conductor inside which is filled with a liquid. This liquid rises to the top of the tube when it heats up. This heat is then transferred to the water from the cylinder. In flat plate collector, on the other hand, the water passes through the plate and heated. The heated water is then returned to the cylinder.

Both the systems have their own advantages. An expert in installing solar heating systems can help you choose among the both according to your requirements.

If the water cylinder you have installed is not a solar system, then you have to replace it with a solar one or add solar heating coil.

Make sure that your current boiler is compatible with solar water heating.

People hesitate to install solar heating systems in their homes due to their high initial installing costs and its cost of maintenance. However, if it is compared with electricity heating systems, it costs 40 to 60% less than the former. Furthermore it has a very low operating cost.

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Posted with STEMGeeks



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