Using Solar Water Heating Kit For Residential Use

Out of solar thermal energy kits, solar water heaters are widely used systems amongst homeowners. They are affordable and simple to use that make them highly adaptable around the world.

However, solar powered water heating systems are mandatory for new buildings in places like Germany and Hawaii. You can prefer passive and active systems best suiting your personal requirements.

Active System –

An active solar water heating system uses heat pump that helps in moving water through solar collectors. It’s highly used especially in Northern USA and Canada as the system requires glycol heating fluid. 

Passive System –

In a passive solar water heater, hot water rises naturally. This system uses the thermo siphon principle to move hot water from cold to hot collectors.

How Do These Kits Work?

As the name suggests, a solar water heater harnesses the electricity from the sun directly through the heat energy. Unlike solar PV kits, the solar energy is absorbed in the usable heat energy.

This type of system is around four to five times more efficient and uses 60-80% captured heat energy rather than 12-16% in a PV system. A solar collector utilizes evacuated tube to capture the solar heat energy and transfers to a heating fluid present inside a closed solar loop.

After that, the heating fluid is transferred through small pump and internal heat exchanger, present in the bottom of the residential water tank. The hot fluid starts losing its heat energy to the colder residential water and goes back to solar collector. Then, it will be heated again by the solar thermal energy.

Turn on and off the pump by using a differential controller. This depends on differential temperature between the heating fluid and water temperature in the tank. 

A secondary heat exchanger is present on the top of water tank and can be used to move energy from the storage tank to a secondary heating zone like in-floor heating during winter or a pool or a hot tub during summer.

Buying Solar Water Heating Package from 123 Zero Energy –

At 123 Zero Energy, we provide solar water heating package for residential hot water purposes. You can expand it by adding other secondary heating sources like home heater or pool and hot tubs. This system is considered as highly performing and functional in Canada and is certified by CSA F379.

Our pre-engineered system is specifically designed as a complete system and is made with industry-standard Plug n Save technology ensuring fast and reliable assembly. This system doesn’t require further soldering for the installation.

These solar water heaters are powered by state-of-the-art vacuum tubes and ideal to use in Canadian winter climates. Even if the temperature is minus 40 degree C, it won’t impact on the performance of solar water heaters.

For more information about solar water heaters, feel free to contact us as soon as possible at 1-800-317-9054! We’ll get back to you as soon as possible!

How Do You Install a Solar Water Heating System?

Are you thinking to install solar water heaters? If yes, you should definitely invest in DIY pre-engineered solar water heaters at Northern Lights Solar Solutions. These solar water heating systems are specifically designed to be installed by homeowner without any prior knowledge of the system.

The pre-packaged systems come with every component you need for the installation including heating fluid and special positive displacement drill pump to fill and pressurize your system. You will be provided with a detailed installation manual for a better understanding.

If the collectors require to be mounted on the roof, you may hire a roofer to perform this task, especially if you don’t have any prior knowledge of roofing. However, the remaining system can be installed by any homeowner with minimal tools.

First of all, you have to understand the right position of the solar collectors. Ultimately, it’ll help you determine the overall system performance. The most important aspect is to choose the right location that maximizes the southern exposure with less shading.

A south facing room during winter may be ideal; if it’s shaded by the foliage from large trees during summer, it will significantly minimize the performance. You don’t need to stress more if the location is not south as the solar evacuated tubes work really well between South-West and South-East.

Now you have to determine the mounting angle of the water heating system. If you want maximum performance, then the mounting angle should match the latitude of the location. If the latitude is 30N, you should have a tilt angle of 30 degree.

For seasonal heating like solar pool heater during summer or solar space heater in winter, you have to adjust the angle +/-15 degrees. A solar powered heater delivers best performance during summer at 15 degree (latitude 30) and 45 degrees would be preferable for space heating purposes.

The main reason behind installing a pre-packaged solar water heating system is that all the parts are included in the kit; so you won’t need to run to a hardware store every couple hours. This means, you will get all necessary components to get the installation done safely.

For the installation, you won’t need to do any soldering or special electrical hook up. The Northern Lights solar water heaters come with Aurora Flex Stainless Steel piping and easy fittings. Use a wrench to tighten the fittings. When you are done with the set up, plug it into a 110V standard wall outlet and your system is all set.

In addition, you have the alternative to install it as a pre-heat system or a supplemental system. In a pre-heat system, the solar water tank is only used for storage. The heat exchanger present in the bottom part of the tank heats up the water inside.

The solar tank is included in series with the existing hot water tank. When you use hot water, it works like a primary tank which is always being replaced by warm solar heated water.

In the supplemental system, you will use the solar tank as the primary heating source. Again, you use the electric element to supply solar heat while making sure that you get hot water during evening.

Moreover, it’s ideal for new home construction, home with limited space and the replacement of existing water heater. This solar water heating system uses a tank; saving you on installation costs. If you want to learn more about solar water heaters, feel free to contact 123 Zero Energy at +1-800-317-9054.

Understanding Solar Space Heating System

Solar space heating system is an effective and excellent way to minimize costly energy bills during your heating season. A solar space heater works along with your existing heating kit to use solar energy to minimize your consumption of oil, propane, or other fossil fuels.

Using solar evacuated tube collectors, this system work to deliver free solar heating for your home throughout your entire heating system. These heating systems can be combined with solar ready ultra high efficiency heat pump chiller.

Why Do You Invest in Solar Space Heater?

On an average, an American family spends over $2,000 a year in heating costs. Over the time, heating systems operated through fossil fuels, like oil, propane and natural gas continue to rise in cost.

As the name suggests, you can take advantage of sun’s free and abundant energy for heating your home by using a solar space heater. When you use this system for heating your home, it can significantly minimize fuel bills during winter. Another main reason behind using this system is it heats up residential hot water efficiently.

In addition, this heating kit will help you minimize the amount of air pollution and harmful greenhouse gases produced from the usage of fossil fuels like oil, propane and other petroleum products. The solar collectors are rated, tested and certified by the SRCC. In fact, your solar space heater allows you take advantage of different rebates and financial incentives including the Federal 30% tax credit.

How Does Solar Space Heating System Work?

A solar space heating system works along with your existing hydronic or hot water based heating system. The solar collectors start circulating fluid through the solar array where it’s heated and transferred back to solar storage tank.

When the heated fluid starts circulating through the storage tank, the water inside the tank is heated. The temperature in the solar storage tank can reach anywhere between 130F and 175F.

The hot water used by your existing heating system like in a radiant floor system is circulated through a heat exchanger in the storage tank.

 When water passes through the heat exchanger, it gets warm and returns to your heating system. It keeps your heating system off effectively or significantly minimizes the amount of time it runs. This means, your home is going to be warm by using free energy from the sun.

An additional heat exchanger is used with solar space heating kits to deliver residential hot water. It’s especially effective during summer when the heating system remains inactive.

The solar space heating systems are more often designed to fit your specific application and home requirements perfectly. They can be used to provide heat for other systems like for a pool. Moreover, solar space heating systems can be used in different home heating systems and are considered as a perfect way to minimize your monthly energy costs. For more information about our solar space heaters, don’t hesitate to contact 123 Zero Energy at +1-800-317-9054!