Even though your home wasn't originally designed to use solar power, converting it to use a solar heating system can be an efficient way to cut down your electricity bills significantly. However, you have to make the 5 important considerations for installing a solar heating system to maximize the sunlight collection and generate sufficient heat at lowest cost.
Consideration #1: Insulation
The very first thing you need to do in planning for a solar heating system is to make sure your house is insulated perfectly. Any air leak can impede the efficiency of the heating system. Therefore, the house needs to be perfectly insulated in order to achieve the best efficiency. You may want to call a professional to check your house insulation condition and make sure it is up to code.
Consideration #2: Design Options
Depending on your requirements, there are a few design options, which you choose when installing a solar heating system. If you plan to install the system in a single room, then a small convection window unit may be sufficient for your need; else, you can put a collector facing the best sunshine direction for heating the whole house.
You can either generate the heat from direct heating the air, this is the cheapest, but less efficient; or using a glycol or water to transfer the heat for the best efficiency, but it is more expensive than the direct heating air.
Consideration #3: Collectors
The size of collectors to be installed for a solar heating system will depend on how much sun you can get at your location and your budget. Try to check at the government solar radiation maps website to know how much sun you can get so that you can plan for the size of collectors. The temperature inside the collector may heat up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit even during winter, so be sure you have designed-in the overheating protection to avoid overheat, or you can install cover that will close up the collectors when they are not in use.
Consideration #4: Optimization
How to maximize the heat generated from a solar heating system is another important consideration. For example, you may want to install a system with adjustable heating elements in the house based on per room basis so that the heat won't be wasted at places that are not in-use. Another way to optimize the heat energy is to minimize the losses during the transportation through the pipe.
Consideration #5: Heat Storage
Heat storage is one of important components in a solar heating system. It can be in the form of water tank or sand to store the excess heat generated during the day for uses at night when there is no sunlight. Without the heat storage, you will need a conventional heating system for uses at night or when there is no sunlight. Although the design of a system that counts in a heat storage is more difficult, but there are more beneficial in the long run.
Summary
Installing a solar heating system is an efficient way to cut down your electrical bill. The above-mentioned are a few important considerations that you need to make when planning to install a solar heating system.
Dave Stillman reviews various Home Energy Guides at http://www.wind-solar-power.info. Read his reviews before you buy any of these guides. Find the best step-by-step Home Energy Guides from Dave's resources.
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