Solar Thermal Systems
Photo courtesy of www.energysavers.gov
Solar water heating has existed for centuries and has been used for bathing, hand washing, and home heating. It has always been a very effective method to heat water, but modern materials and knowledge have made the process far more efficient.
Today solar water heating is known as Solar Domestic Hot Water, which is a form of Solar Thermal in general. Our domestic hot water systems start with a flat plate solar collector. Coils of copper pipe inside the collector heat up and transfer liquid (typically a non-toxic, food grade propylene glycol) slowly moving inside them. With the newest collectors, the temperature of that liquid can reach up to 200 degrees!
When the liquid is hot enough, it flows down to heat the water for the house through a heat exchanger (see diagram). The fluid is then circulated back up to the collectors to heat up again; it never comes in contact with the hot water for the home. The heated water is kept in a large storage tank, so even a morning shower can be solar heated from the previous day.
The entire process is essentially a high tech version of a garden hose sitting in the sun. This system can provide up to 80% of a home’s hot water needs. And because hot water heating can account for around 20% of utility bills, these systems can bring you big savings!
All of the systems we install always have a back-up heat source so you are never left with a cold shower.
Sunlight Solar Energy is a certifed solar thermal installer for Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Oregon. Call us today to learn about rebates and incentives in your state and schedule a free site survey!
