How to Use Solar In-Home Hot Water Heating

Electric power consumption has increased to record levels since its inception at the turn of the twentieth century. More and more people are considering alternatives to electric power consumption to heat and cool their homes. Solar power is a common choice to heat the home's water supply. Following are some tips on how to use solar in-home hot water heating.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Solar array
• Water tanks

1. Determine how many hours of sunshine the home receives on a typical day. This calculation will help in deciding the size of the materials needed for the in-home solar water heater equipment.

2. Decide what type of system will be installed. Some systems directly heat water provided to the home, and other systems use a heat transfer fluid that is heated and passes over water supplies to heat it.

3. Choose between either an active system that uses pumps and valves to move the heated water through the system or a passive system that simply allows the rise of hot water through the tanks and into the home.

4. Designate an area in the home to place the heating system. Active systems can be placed anywhere in the home. The basement is an ideal place for this unit. Passive systems are ideally placed in the attic, crawlspace or other area high enough to allow natural flow of water.

Tips & Warnings

• Look into converting the entire home over to solar power if practical. Place battery units in the home to store solar power for the home's electrical power supply.
• Start small with a solar heating unit for the home's pool. This will save money in the cooler months and give some idea how the home's solar heating system will function.
• Purchase quality supplies from reputable dealers to prevent breakdowns and loss of efficiency.

Resources

• Find the U.S. Department of Energy's information on solar water heating here.
• Here is a provider of solar heating systems with great advice and tips.