The average American family uses more energy for heating water than for any other purpose, and of course this means that a great deal of the money you pay out in energy bills is paid for simply heating water. Now if you could only find a cheaper way to heat water, you could reduce your monthly bills by a not insignificant margin. It sounds simple, but is it as simple to implement? Actually, it is, by simply installing a solar hot water heating system.
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After all, the sun has provided heat and light for the human race since the beginning of time – it radiates more energy into space every second that we could ever use. The only question, of course, is whether we can make use of that energy.
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Harnessing solar energy means that we live in a cleaner, greener, less polluted world, that we pay less for our energy needs, and that we massively benefit the environment by avoiding the risks to it represented, for example, in the oil spills that have become so frequent these days.
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The best part is that solar energy is multi-functional. You can run your home on electricity from solar energy panels, heat water for your use with a solar hot water heating system, even use an underfloor heating system.
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Solar hot water heating has become perhaps the most popular of the three because it is also the cheapest and most reliable, especially if you’re willing to install it yourself from a kit.
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You need to remember to take into account that different systems can be used depending on the climate. In a colder climate you will have to choose a system that is more complex compared to the systems used in warmer climates.
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Generally speaking, there are three types of solar hot water heating system that are widely used today:
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- The flat plate model .
- The integral collector .
- The evacuated tube solar collector. .
The first model has a number of flat plates that are specially designed to absorb sunlight and heat water through absorbing sheets. It’s perfect for those who live in warmer climates and receive a lot of sunshine to convert into solar energy.
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The integral collector has bigger water pipes and therefore you can heat a larger amount of water than would be possible with the flat plate models. The only disadvantage is that it’s absolutely useless in very cold locations as the pipes usually crack when frozen.
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And the last type, the evacuated tube solar collector, is for heating extremely large reservoirs of water, and therefore it’s mostly selected for commercial use. Basically it’s a water pipe inside another pipe that preserves the heat in the vacuum between the two.
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Doing a search on the internet or consulting with an alternative energy expert will help you decide the right type for you. The solar hot water heating system that you will need merely to provide hot water for your house will be quite different from one that you would install to heat a pool, for example. But whichever way you look at it, switching to methods of harnessing solar energy is the right decision, one in favor of a better future.
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Best regards,
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The Build Solar Team
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P.S Why not find out more about Solar Heating Systems right here?
