Solar Hot Water Solutions
Domestic Water Heating
Solar water heating is a cost-effective alternative to gas or electric water heating systems. Solar thermal systems are comprised of a solar thermal collector, a heat exchanger, circulating pump, storage tank, expansion tank, glycol lines and a controller.
The solar thermal collector is usually installed on a roof or mounted on a ground structure. The heat exchanger, solar storage tank, and controller are connected to the other system components, usually mounted beside or near your existing hot water heater. In most cases, your existing hot water system will remain unchanged.
Space heating
Solar radiant heating uses heated glycol from collectors just as with a domestic Solar hot water system. Much more heat is needed, so more collector area is used. The back-up heater can be a standard boiler fueled by gas or oil, or a gas or electric on-demand water heater. In existing radiant systems, the Solar hot water system can be plumbed to the existing boiler which will then serve as a back-up.
If you need a new boiler, heating system, or are considering a radiant floor, then having NESHW install these items in conjunction with a solar hot water heating system would make the entire project subject to the 30% 'solar' investment tax credit. This could effectively discount a new high effeciency boiler install, for example, by several thousand dollars.
Swimming Pool Heating
Solar pool heating is one of the most economically attractive uses of solar energy available. Utilizing your existing pump and filtration system, pool water is diverted through a solar thermal collector that heats the water to the desired temperature.
A typical system consists of solar collectors mounted on a roof, a solar sensor, and an automatic control unit. As a rule of thumb, most pools in New England need a solar array roughly three quarters of the surface area of the pool. Therefore a 15' X 30' pool would need approximately 340 square feet of solar thermal panels. A sunny day above 65 degrees Fahrenheit will result in an 80 degree pool, and in many cases, extend the swimming season by two months or more.