Solar Options

Planning for Tomorrow

Making a Difference Today
 

 Get more information from your National Renewable Energy Lab at www.nrel.gov/solar/

Domestic Hot Water

 The system we prefer to install is called a drain back. It maximizes the amount of energy we can collect through out the year. When the sensors shows the temp of the collector is higher than the temp of the storage tank, a pump comes on and circulates the water from the drain back tank to the collector and back. At the same time a recirculating pump circulates the water you use, from the storage tank through a heat exchanger in the drain back tank. When the storage tank reaches it's preset high limit, the pump shuts off and all the water in the collector drains into the drain back tank. This prevents the liquid from over heating. In the summer the pump will only cycle a few times in a day and in the winter, it will cycle more often.  When the collector temp falls below the temp of the storage tank (like at night) the pump shuts off and the water in the collector drains, in the winter this prevents the water from freezing.

 We are proud to be a dealer for Alternate Energy Technologies in Jacksonville Florida, the collectors are made right here in the USA! To see more how a drainback system works, check it out; www.eaglesunsystem.com/presentation.html

 The size of the system suited to you depends on how much hot water you use. We have broken it down into 3 basic sizes.

 

1) For a household of 2-4 people we recommend 2 collectors 4'x8' and an 80 gallon storage tank. This will produce about 64,000 btu's per day of energy. This system cost around $6,500 installed.

 

2) For a household of 4-6 people we recommend 2 collectors 4'x10' and an 80 gallon storage tank. This produces about 80,000 btu's daily of energy. This system cost around $7,200 installed.

 

3) For housholds of 6 or more people, or a houshold that is considering using solar heated water for some supplimental space heat, we would increase the size of the storage tank to 120 gallons. The number of collectors would be determined after a more detailed evaluation.

 
 Supplimental space heating is a great way to squeeze a little more out of your solar thermal system. It is important to remember it is suplimental, and system sizing needs to be considered before installing. Most people think of radiant floor heating, but their are many ways to transfer heat from water to a air. My favorite outlet for heat exchangers is www.houseneeds.com. Go to hydronic heating and look for fan convectors, there are many different models for almost any situation.
 Commercial thermal systems have an excellent return on investment. In our area they qualify for a 30% Federal rebate, 25% USDA Grant and a 35% State Investment Tax credit. Payback times are usually less than 3 years, and as low as 1 year. To detremine what size system would be most efficient, we first install a sonic flow meter to determine just how much hot water you use, then we can engineer a system and cost feasibility.