Heating water in the home is one of the biggest ways in using up electricity, gas and oil, as we use this in hospitals, offices, schools etc. Solar water heating is a very simple and energy efficient ways of using free energy from the sun and putting it into good use. Solar water heaters transform the solar radiation into thermal energy.
A solar water system has a solar collector and a storage tank. The solar collector is a flat rectangular box (1 sqm per person in a household) which is mounted on the roof so that it faces south. The sun rays enter through a transparent cover made of strong glass or plastic. Inside the solar collector a skinny copper pipe is snake from left to right across the box. Behind the copper pipe is some reflective foil and then insulation so that the suns energy cannot escape. The copper pipe is pumped with water or anti-freeze, and is heated by the suns energy. The hot liquid is then pumped through a coil of pipe in a standard hot water storage tank/boiler. Less energy is required to heat up the tank of water because when the cold water enters it is pre heated by the coil. Most of these systems work very well, even when the ambient temperature is well below zero and can save you a huge 20% off your heating bill even in the cold winter!
Typically, systems with 4sqm of collectors for a household will lead to savings of two-thirds on previous water heating bills and is environmentally friendly. There are other types of systems whish are becoming more popular due to their increased efficiency, which are the Evacuated Solar Water Heaters. These systems are made up arrays of evacuated double glass-walled tubes which each have a space in the centre containing a copper heat tube. About 93% of solar energy hitting the tube is absorbed and used to heat water and the 7% is reflected. With great thanks to this high efficiency prices for these systems start from just 30 pence per watt of energy required.
Making your own solar water heater is simple, and could be done cheaply, saving you a lot of money in the long run.
All you would need is some black pond liner, plywood, a Plexi-glass sheet, a large bucket and some hoses and clamps. Assuming that you dint have all this already, this will set you back about £30. After you have gone to the effort of making one of these you will have a solar water heater which will heat up a 5 gallon bucket of water to well over 40 degrees Celsius (the temperature of a hot bath).
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Posted under Articles, Climate, Gardening & Outdoors, Gas & Electricity, House & Home, How To's & Guides, Money & Finance, Product Innovations, Renewable Energy
This post was written by Xavier Tikadar on July 30, 2008