Ways to Use Solar Power for Heat
Solar Power at Home reports that heating space and water represents almost half of the average household's energy costs. Imagine being able to unplug from the grid without giving up the basic necessity of a warm home. It is possible, even if your home is older and needs to be adapted. If you are designing a home and wish it heated with solar energy, consult an expert regarding a solar thermal house design. Does this Spark an idea?
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Solar Thermal House Design
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If you are designing a home rather than adapting an already built on,e you can literally work solar heating into your design. This involves attaching a greenhouse sun room to a large portion of your house. The windows are angled to catch the most solar energy throughout each day. The wall between the greenhouse and your living space is designed to allow rising hot hair through openings near the ceiling from the greenhouse room. Additionally, vents are installed near the floor to allow cool air from the house to circulate back into the greenhouse. In cold or warm climate, as long as the sun is out, the air in the greenhouse will be heated.
Active Solar Heating
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This is an efficient way to adapt an older house to solar heating as very little electricity is involved with this process. Solar-powered heaters are installed on the roof of a house. These aren't solar panels; they are designed to heat either air or liquid as it passes through chambers within the heaters. This is the same way that a car gets warm when the sun shines through closed windows, even if it is cold outside. Pumps are used to circulate the air or liquid through the rest of the house. If it is liquid, it will be pumped through pipes that will heat the walls, ceiling or floor of an area. According to Energy Savers, liquid systems are used mostly with storage facilities or buildings equipped with a boiler. Air systems are efficient but should be backed up by another heat source. They will not work well in cloudy weather.
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Solar Water Heaters
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There are two ways to heat your home's water supply with solar energy. Again, this is not accomplished through solar electric means but rather direct thermal heating. The active solar water heating system involves a solar water heating panel that can be mounted anywhere outside that receives a lot of sunlight. A small liquid pumps antifreeze through pipes in the solar heater and then down through a pipe coil in your hot water tank. It is then pumped back up to the solar heater to again be heated. A passive system involves a solar water heating panel that actually houses a small water tank. When you want hot water, it comes directly from this small tank. A backup tank refills the small one as it is used. This way, you do not have an active pump running at all times.
Solar Space Heaters
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If you don't need to heat your entire house because you spend all of your time in one room, consider a solar space heater installed in any sunny window. Through convection, the air in the room is heated by the magnified sunlight. According to Powered by Solar Panels, solar space heaters can make any room you are in comfortable. Do not rely on these products to heat your home.
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