Solar Water Heating
 
Solar water heating is a great way to make a home more environmetally friendly, and comes with some excellent tax credits.
What is Solar Water Heating?
First, a solar system captures the sun’s energy in solar thermal collectors. Then, a fluid system moves the heat from the collector to its point of usage, a storage tank. The system may use electricity for pumping the fluid, and have a reservoir or tank for heat storage and subsequent use. The systems may be used to heat water for a wide variety of uses, including home, business and industrial uses. Heating swimming pool, underfloor heating or energy input for space heating are more specific examples.
In many climates, a solar heating system can provide up to 85% of domestic hot water energy. For the New Mexico area, this certainly holds true.
Residential solar thermal installations can be subdivided into two kinds of systems: compact and pumped systems. Both typically include an auxiliary energy source (electric heating element or connection to a gas or fuel oil central heating system) that is activated when the water in the tank falls below a minimum temperature setting such as 120F. Hence, hot water is always available.
What is the best type of solar collector for your climate?
In the Albuquerque climate, it is best to use a flat plate collector. These panels are designed for areas that have a relatively warm climate and a lot of direct sunshine. Our company currently works with Stiebel Eltron SOL 25 PLUS collector panels. Another popular type of collector is an evacuated tube collector. This type of collector is used mainly in areas that are often cloudy and do not see much sunshine.
What is a Flat Plate Collector?
A flat plate collector consists of a thin absorber sheet (of thermally stable polymers, aluminum, steel or copper, to which a black or selective coating is applied) backed by a grid or coil of fluid tubing and placed in an insulated casing with a glass or polycarbonate cover. The SOL 25 that our company uses has low iron tempered solar glass, and a copper absorber sheet.
What happens inside the Flat Plate Collector?
Fluid is circulated, using either mains or solar electricity, through the tubing to remove the heat from the absorber and to transport it to an insulated water tank, sometimes directly or otherwise to a heat exchanger or to some other device for using the heated fluid. In our Stiebel Eltron setup, the heat exchanger is found inside the water heater tank.
What happens inside the tank?
As you can see in the picture below, a heat exchanger draws the heat from the fluid to heat the water. This water is stored in the same tank. Also found inside the tank is an electrical back up power source that can heat the water when there is no sun.
What kind of setup do you need for solar water heating in a 2000sq ft home?
Usually, two panels will be sufficient to supply hot water for a household of 2-3 people. These panels can be mounted flat on your roof if it has a steep slope. If you have a flat roof, the panels will need to be installed at an angle in order to work efficiently in the winter. In addition, you will need a storage tank that contains the heat exchange, backup power, and holding capacity for the system. An electrical control will be installed that measures the temperature in the panel and in the storage tank. When the water in the panel is warmer than in the tank, a signal is sent to the pump to activate the heat exchange process.
What are the current tax incentives?
Solar water heating comes with excellent tax benefits. There are state and federal tax credits that amount to 50% of the installation, and you can save another 6% by not having to pay sales tax on the system. So, current tax credits will save you 56% of the total cost.
Below is a description of the panels and tanks we recommend and use for our installations.
Stiebel Eltron SOL25 is a German engineered panel that is very efficient and effective in our climate.
Features include:
• High selective Bluetec CERMET
ceramic/metal coating
• Copper absorber with
copper fluid tubes
• Low iron tempered
solar glass
• Durable corrosion resistant
aluminum frame
• Low profile at 3" thick
The SOL 25 PLUS is ideal for many applications:
• Residential water heating
• Commercial water heating
• Space heating
• Swimming pools
• Radiant floor heating
Advantages include:
• Maximum Efficiencies
The SOL 25 PLUS is a highly efficient thermal collector. The net absorber surface of almost 28 sq feet results in a maximum output of 30,000 btu/clear day per panel. The SOL 25 PLUS also offers features such as a high selective absorber coating, low-iron, tempered solar glazing, and very effective insulation around the absorber plate. The internal fluid tubes are copper.
• Installation Time is minimized
The large panel size and the availability of a full complement of custom designed mounting accessories minimize the installation costs.
• Appealing Design
The SOL 25 PLUS has less depth than other panels, making it visually less obtrusive and compatible with existing architectural designs.
• Lasting and Reliable Energy Saving Investments
Stiebel Eltron uses only the most durable materials. The SOL 25 PLUS is the culmination of over 30 years of experience in the thermal solar business.
Contact Information
If you want to discuss your plumbing, heating and cooling project with us or simply order a service call please contact us at:
Phone
(505) 345 8926
Fax
(505) 345 2932 |
Address
5150 Edith Blvd NE
Albuquerque, NM 87107
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General Info
Arthur Clerx
President
aclerx@totalservicecompany.net
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Admin/Finance
Joze Wetzels
CFO
jwetzels@totalservicecompany.net |
We accept Visa and Mastercard credit cards
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