Building Contract

Solar Heating And All Of Its Perks

Few people realize this, but anywhere from 50 to 80 percent of a household’s energy bills – whether they’re gas or electric – come from how much energy it takes to heat up water in a water heater. Imagine cutting your bill anywhere from 50 to 80 percent just by using a free energy source to heat up your water! That’s what happens with solar water heating systems.

How Do Solar Heating Systems Work?

Basically, solar water heating systems include two components: storage tanks and storage collectors. There are also two types of solar water heating systems you can use: ones classified as “active” and ones classified as “passive.” Active solar water heating systems have actual pumps and controls that pump and direct water. Passive systems don’t have any of those same components.

Solar heating storage tanks are special in that they have an extra outlet hooked up to them and an outlet leading out from them. In two-tank systems, the solar heating system preheats water before it enters conventional water heaters. In one-tank systems, the solar heating system heats the water up immediately.

What Else Is Important With Passive Solar Heating?

Another thing that’s vital to a passive solar heating system working correctly is making sure that the home collecting the energy can actually store the heat correctly. A correctly insulated house adds value to a system because less heat escapes the house, meaning the passive solar heating system doesn’t have to be producing heat nearly as often.

And naturally the look of a place using this system is crucial too. First, the particular location of the house needs to be considered the sun travels across a southern arc. A home needing to employ a this system shouldn’t have trees, other homes or mountains that block the sun out for a period. Window placements matters to southward-facing glass windows permit direct daylight into the home which helps support a passive solar heating system.

A building employing a passive solar heating system should face to the south. They deserve to be lengthened on an east-west axis.

Interior rooms that are likely to be cold should be put on the south to permit more direct daylight into them. Many of us are converting their houses so they use solar hot water heating systems and passive solar heating systems.