Domestic Hot Water and Space Heating

Domestic or Service Hot Water - Hot water typically accounts for about 30-40% of household utility bills, and a solar thermal system can provide as much as 70% of these energy needs. Versatile systems include a heat exchanger appliance that is attached to a storage tank or an existing water heater. Storage in this region we need about two gallons of storage for every square foot of collector. Two options are available to power the pumps: 1) AC where grid power exists or 2) grid-independent, DC solar electric powered.

Hydronic Radiant Heat – A very comfortable way to heat, radiant heat delivers warmth in a way that the human body is uniquely built to appreciate. In the Midwest, cold winter months with limited solar insolation (many cloudy days) typically necessitate the use of gas, wood-fire or electric back-up. Solar space heating also requires a storage tank to store heat for future distribution through the system.
While radiant-floor or other hydronic heating can be retrofitted into an existing home, the ideal installation is in a new home designed with radiant floors in mind. The most effective radiant systems feature tubing embedded in concrete. Wall mounted units for dispersion of heat are also available.

On-Demand Hot Water Heaters - simple wall mounted systems will provide a steady flow of hot water as it is used. These machines are usually tied into gas lines to be used as the primary source of hot water heating or as back-up for solar heating. When added to a solar heated storage tank, on-demand heater always provide the desired water temperature while offering great savings over typically hot water heaters.

Check out our pricing for solar heating systems

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