Is a solar heating system right for you
Posted on September 14, 2015
How do we heat our homes in twenty years? This question is speculated a lot, but the majority of the energy researchers across the globe seem to agree that electric heating systems, such as heat pumps, will be still be used as much in the future as it is used today. This is particularly true in the large stock of existing houses.
In the near future electricity system must be adapted to a more diverse electricity generation, including wind, which requires so-called “smart grid”. This technology shift will affect the use of electricity in our homes
Price trends for photovoltaics, and energy companies’ behavior, is crucial to how much this market will grow. Many homeowners can safely consider installing solar panels, but this assumes that the investment will be profitable within a reasonable time.
Today there are basically two types of solar systems for single-family homes. Either you have an easier installation where solar energy is used to heat domestic hot water. The Solar heating plant is then connected to the water heater. In this case the sun’s heat is covering 50-60% of normal family needs for domestic hot water on an annual basis .
The other possibility is to have a so-called combi systems, where the sun covers boths part of the domestic hot water needs, and some of the heat demand.
The best feature may be the sun’s heat when it complements any type of combustion, such as wood or oil. It takes comparatively a lot of oil to get a small amount of heat during the summer, depending on the percentage heat loss increases. At the same time during the summer the natural heat of the sun works best. Solar heating can in this way meritorious add the oil. The same applies to other types of fuels such as wood and pellets.
In a combined cycle system, you must base your heating system on any type of storage tank that solar can work against.
The solar panels will sit on a south-oriented roof, the southeast and southwest are also acceptable. The roof must also be between 30-60 degrees and collectors should certainly not stay shaded (for obvious reasons). In northern parts of America, it is better to have a steeper slope due to snow loads. Should you use a solar plant just for summer consumption, for example, to heat an outdoor swimming pool, solar panels can be flatter. This is due to the sun staying in higher orbit in the sky during the summer.