Renew Fairfield | SolarEnergy / Solar Hot Water browse

Using the sun to heat the water in your home is the least expensive and most practical application of solar energy.

A solar water heating system:

Works in all climates �The sun basically has enough energy regardless of the outside temperature.

Has a quick pay-back �Installing a new system or retrofitting an existing system pays for itself in 1 to 5 years.

Uses mostly traditional plumbing materials � Can be used in conjunction with an existing system.

Reduces Pollution.

Protects against energy price increases.

Before Getting Started:

Here are a few things you can do to reduce your energy consumption and make a solar water heating system more feasible:

Turn the water heater thermostat down. Many water heaters are set to between 140 and 180�F (60 and 82�C). Try 125�F (52�C) instead.
Wrap the water heater with insulation. Insulated water heater "blankets" are available at Wal-Mart or at home supply stores. (Be careful with natural gas or propane fired water tanks. They use an open flame to heat the water. You need to provide a space for air at the bottom of the tank, and at the top where the flue exits the tank. Safety comes before efficiency!)
Fix any water drips. They may not look like much, but they are a constant and persistent drain on your water heating load, and they waste water too.
Use flow restrictors and faucet aerators to reduce your hot water consumption.
Insulate your hot water pipes.

Main parts for a Solar water heating system in a cold climate:

It consists of one or more solar thermal collectors located outside in a sunny location, a fluid to move the heat from the solar collectors to the heat exchanger, a heat exchanger - which transfers the heat to the storage tank, and one or more hot water storage tanks.

There are many types of solar domestic water heating systems. A so-called closed loop system is very suitable for our cold climate. This system uses a pump to circulate an antifreeze liquid from the solar collector(s) through a heat exchanger and then back out to the solar collectors - in a closed loop. The pump is regulated by an electronic controller, or a photovoltaic panel.

Swimming Pool Systems: In solar heated swimming pools, the pool's filter pump is used to pump water through a solar collector, and the pool itself stores the hot water.

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