Using Solar Heating costs can get expensive when the weather is cold, making it imperative to find ways to save money on heating your residence. Solar panels are used to collect energy from the sun and transform it into electricity that can be used throughout your home. This same solar energy technology can be used to heat your home.
Heat collectors, or solar thermal systems, work similarly to solar power cells, except they absorb heat as well as light that is generated by the sun and uses it to heat the air or a liquid. This heated air or liquid is then used to transfer heat into your home. You have many options that allow you to enjoy a warm home and save money on gas and heating costs with solar energy.
Passive Solar heating is highly effective on large windows that face south, allowing sunlight to stream into your home. Solar light and warmth are absorbed by the floors, walls, or any containers or dark-coloured items. When this warmth is absorbed, it raises the temperature in the home by several degrees. Since hot air rises, heat will spread through the entire home quite efficiently.
Active Solar
With active heating using solar energy, heat collectors that contain liquids or air will be used to collect heat from the sun. This warmth is stored much like solar panels store energy in their batteries. When you want to heat the home, the heated air is used to send warmth throughout the house or just individual rooms, depending on the system you have installed. Using liquids, the home is heated using a pump that allows the liquid to be moved though pipes in your home, bringing warmth.
Liquid Active Solar using liquids requires pipes or tubing, a radiant slab system, to be installed underneath the floors or in the walls of your residence. To heat your home, the liquid is heated, and the warmth radiates from the pipes, causing temperature to increase. Other methods of heating the home, such as furnaces and hot water radiators, use stored hot water to provide heat in rooms. When using liquid active solar heat, water can be heated as well – saving you a ton of money.
Combination Solar & Geothermal
Solar collectors absorb warmth from the sun and store it to be used to heat the air, or even the water, in your home. Warmth can also be collected due to geothermal heating systems. These systems require water pipes to be installed near your home underneath the ground. They connect to heat pumps, transferring warm water from the ground so that it can be used in the home. Pairing geothermal systems and other solar heating methods can increase efficiency in areas with extreme cold or long periods with little sunlight.
When it comes to solar power, there is no end to what can be accomplished. Not only can you save money heating your home with solar energy, you can heat water as well.
For more information about solar energy and solar panels please check out these links.
Source by Edmund Brunetti
#Saving #Money #Heating #Home home improvement
