The Facts of Solar Energy for Home Heating
Solar energy has gained a lot of popularity and has become even more affordable than before. Although the installation is still initially quite expensive, there are excellent benefits of solar energy for your home heating as well as heating your water.
Thanks to the latest technology, solar heating now comes in two main varieties – air and liquid based systems. Air-based heating systems heat the surrounding air and store the heated air in a collector. The solar liquid based system heats water stored inside the collector. Once heated, the air and liquid get distributed throughout the home.
When comparing the two systems, the air based does not freeze up as water would; however, the liquid based is still more efficient. This is primarily due to the fact that the air systems work best during cooler parts of the day such as during dawn or late evenings. The liquid based is better because it can heat the home as well as water, thus providing excellent hot showers and proper washing of clothes and dishes.
So how do you choose a solar heating system that’s right for you? Well, it depends on where you live and the climate of the area, the size of your home as well as your family’s heating needs.
The first step is deciding the size solar panels you will need to have installed on your roof, depending on where the panels can receive the most Sun. These panels absorb the Sun’s energy as converts it to usable energy. These are the most expensive aspects of solar heating, but well worth it over time. Typically, larger homes require larger panels.