Using Solar Water Heating Systems In The Home

2007-12-20 Word Count: 553 Category: Home Improvement

Using solar power is a great way to save money and do your bit of the environment. With fossil fuels becoming harder to extract and the finite nature of these fuels, it seems inevitable that traditional energy suppliers like grid electricity will steadily become more expensive. This is where solar power will gradually come into play. Solar energy is a renewable, benign form of energy generation. The source will last a long time. Making an investment in solar power to provide energy for your home is a good decision even if it might cost a bit of money to set up. Even this factor is mitigated by the number of grants and rebates on offer to install and use solar power in the home. This article will focus on using a solar water heating system for the home. It will explain the types of solar water heating parts and how the system works.

Solar water heating systems can be used to reduce the overall fuel bill you get each month by being integrated into the existing system or they can replace the existing system completely.

In most homes the traditional way that we get hot water is through the grid. A water tank will be fitted with some form of water heater. This heater is powered by electricity. Because electricity has often been seen as cheap not much thought had gone into using it. In terms of water heating you need to get the get the most efficient water heater available. Once your water has been heated you need to insulate that water against heat loss. So the first step to saving money in a water heating system is to ensure you have a modern water heater and good insulation around the water tank or wherever the water is stored.

There are two types of solar water heating systems that are commonly used. They are known as batch collectors and flat plate collectors. Batch collectors are simply a water tank that is painted black to prevent heat loss and absorb heat. The water tank is placed in a spot where the sunlight will heat the water at the surface of the tank.

Flat plate collectors are more elaborate. They are a length of piping that will be placed on the roof or an area where the sunlight will strike. Water or liquid is run through the pipes and heated as it passes through. The underside of the pipe is painted black to promote insulation and heat absorption. The upper side is made of a material that spreads out the sunlight to heat the liquid inside the pipes.

The water that is collected by these two systems can be plumbed into the hot water system of the home. By doing this the hot water heater, and thus the electricity usage, will be used less to heat the water to a temperature for use.

Ultimately, you will use this passive form of solar power to heat your water. As you become more interested in solar power you can use more active technologies like solar panels and photovoltaic cells. Solar panels will help to create electricity that you can then use to power the water heater. Once this happens you will be free of the grid electricity and will practically self sufficient in energy generation.

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In recent years the cost of solar power appliances have become very affordable and saved money on energy bills. Learn more about solar powered appliances at www.solarpowerappliances.com/ - The site has features on solar water heating ,outdoor lighting and solar ovens. Adrian writes about using solar power and appliances that can utilize renewable energy sources.