Solar Power for your Home
It seems that being environmentally aware is all the fashion these days. Home improvement magazines are full of articles and adverts for alternative energy sources. It might surprise you then to read that as far back as the 1920s, many homes were heated large storage tanks that were heated by the sun.
Solar heating went out of popularity simply because the unit of gas and electricity decreased. Of course fashions come and go, now it seems to be back again. Modern hot water heating systems using solar power have now been in use for more than 30 years.
Solar Heating Today
There are now ways to heat your home other than just using solar panels. You can now have sunlight enter your windows. The problem thought is that some parts of your house can become too bright. You may end up with areas that are too warm, while others receive too little heat.
Modern solar heating systems can redirect solar energy to provide an even, comfortable temperature throughout the house.
Some of the systems available use water or a salt water mixture. The tubes and channels that contain the liquid sometimes lie in small parabolic mirror-type troughs that concentrate the sun’s rays to raise the water temperature. Luckily it’s not only your water you can heat, you can now keep your rooms temperatures at a cosy level.
The majority of systems are designed to keep the heat from escaping to prevent water to be continually reheated on demand. But home heating systems reverse that idea and allow some of that heat to escape.
One of the ways this type of heating can be used is as under-floor heating. Tubes are placed under wood, clay or ceramic flooring materials so that the heat can gradually rise through the floor to provide a comfortable interior environment.
Tubes Filled with Air?
Clever designers have taken the idea one step further. They know that water isn’t the only common fluid in our environment. Air is also a fluid. Not a liquid, but a fluid as scientists define it. That gives it some of the properties of a liquid in that it flows easily.
Tubes filled with air or other types of gas can still take in and distribute heat where desired. Also if there is any damage to the tubes, you won’t suffer any damage to your home.
In terms of efficiency water is better than air however you wouldn’t be burdened with major repairs if something went wrong. If the system springs a leak, it’s only necessary to patch it or replace a small section, an inexpensive operation especially compared to the cost of replacing flooring or walls after a water leak.
You may think that these sorts of problems are rare. However if you live in a cold climate you may find that the water inside the pipes can freeze. Of course water expands when frozen so can lead to a burst pipe. Yet, at the same time, there are many such cold days that still supply plenty of sunshine that could be used in a solar heating system.
Investigate the possible applications for your home and you’ll discover a wide array of options.
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