Domestic Solar Hot Water Systems

A domestic solar hot water system is one of the most effective ways of reducing costs from electric, gas and propane sources. This system uses energy from the sun and heat domestic hot water. Moreover, this way of domestic heating is not only economical, but also environmentally friendly. As we can see, this system has a great amount of benefits, thus nowadays people often set such heating systems, especially in the United States. Let us have a look on all possible types of this system which is the most popular among the population of Washington State and other sunny regions of the United States. Moreover, we will find out the advantages of this heating system.

Firstly, this system is suitable for regions where there is lots of the sun, such as Washington state, California or Arizona. As sun energy is free natural resource which can be used to heat water in our homes, it would be weird not to use it. That is why people decided to create a proper system which will heat the water and be cheap as well. A domestic solar hot water system uses collectors, special solar panels, to heat the water. These collectors are attached to the roof and are heated from the sun; therefore this heat is stored in the cylinder. “An immersion heater can be used as a back up to heat the water further to reach the temperature you want (“Introduction to Domestic Solar Hot Water Systems”)”. It means that at any time you are able to control the heat of the water in your house. Moreover, such system can also be used not only to heat water but also to heat your house. However, the amount of heat which collectors can provide is too small to ensure your house with proper warmth. Nevertheless, this system is being updated nowadays, thus new models are appearing on the market. That is why there are two main types of the system, which are widely used in the USA – closed loop and drainback system. “Both closed loop and drainback hot water systems use pumps and valves to control the circulation of the fluid throughout the system (“Take Action”)”. They let the system run all the year, without danger of freezing, thus protecting the system from freezing is a guaranty of proper work of the solar hot water system. Nowadays, the most popular domestic hot water system is the Drainback System with Heat Exchanger. As Washington State annually receives 70% of sun energy, this system will be the best solution for domestic water heating. The main heat-transfer fluid for this system is water. The water passes through collectors with the help of pump and then flows down by gravity to the storage tank and heat exchanger. The system has no valves to fail, thus when the pumps are switched off, the collectors are hollow, in order to assure freeze-protection and automatic shutdown, if the water becomes too hot in the storage. Moreover, this system has no air vents, no expansion tanks and pressure gauges. In fact, the system is also uninsured from outages of utility blackouts, because the water flows in the reservoir when there is no electricity to launch the pumps.

Secondly, this system can help to achieve savings. According to the results of the study, typical savings are £60 per year when replacing gas heating and £85 per year when replacing electric heating. However, it will depend on the user of such system. Nevertheless, the system is much cheaper in the comparison with gas and electric heating, thus people are aware of this fact and begin installing it in their houses. One more fact is that this water heating system is environmentally friendly, because it does not emit CO₂ and does not burn hydrocarbons. It belongs to the regenerative energy sources.

To sum up, the domestic solar hot water systems are excellent systems for heating water in the regions where there is a great amount of sun energy, particularly in Washington State and California or Arizona. Moreover, this system is both convenient and environmentally friendly, thus there will be not damage for you and your family. At last, it will help you to save your incomes, because this system is cheaper than gas or electric heating.

Related Free Research Essays