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Solar water heating needs to be taken seriously
With the changes going on in weather patterns throughout the world, the prospect of using the sun’s rays to heat our water is becoming increasingly more a reality, especially in the south of England. The advantages of making the best of a newly emerging natural phenomenon to produce low cost energy should be investigated very thoroughly, and those business and family’s who are confident that they are liable to pick up a minimum amount of sunshine to justify installing a solar heating system should be considering the option. Anyone who is guaranteed a minimum of three hours of sunshine a day for around eight months a year, can gain from installing a solar water heating system.
Any form of solar water heating systems should provide a good economic payoff. However those considering installing a system should do their sums before investing in solar heating systems. While there are some very low priced DIY systems around on the market, they have failed to show themselves as a serious proposition especially in the long term. These systems comprise a water tank painted black housed inside of a glazed box and are best described as primitive. To enjoy the best results from a solar water heating system in the long term should only consider involving a professional company to advice and install their system to enjoy the maximum professional effect.
Basically all solar water heating systems operate on the same principal, and include storage tanks and solar collectors. In all solar water heating systems fall into two categories:
- Active, which have circulating pumps and controls
- Passive, which operate under the power of gravity
Whatever their category, solar water heaters require a well-insulated storage tank with. Outlet and inlet connected to and from the collector. There are also solar water heaters with two heat systems in these systems; the solar water heater preheats water before it enters the conventional water heater.
For residential applications, there are different types of solar collectors in general use:
- A glazed flat-plate collector
Usually weatherproofed boxes that contain a dark absorber plate under one or more glass or plastic covers glazed flat-plate collectors are always insulated. Unglazed flat-plate collectors usually used for solar pool heating, come with a dark coloured absorber plate, made of either metal or polymer, without any cover or enclosure
- Integral collector-storage systems
Integral collector-storage systems are also known as batch systems, feature one or more black tanks or tubes placed inside an insulated, glazed box. Cold water from the system passes through the solar collector, which preheats it. Once heated, the water continues on to the conventional backup water heater, providing a reliable and readily available source of hot water
To understand the viability of installing a solar water system is to absorb the following facts and figures:
- The surface area of a house roof is 1000 sq ft or 95 square meters
- The estimated solar energy available over the period one year per one square meter is 1500KWH. So on a 95 square meter roof with three hours average sunlight around 150, 00 kilowatts should be generated, which would save around 3,000 gallons of fuel oil at around £1.00 a gallon. Well worth the cost of installing a solar system
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