California Pacific Home Improvement Solar Water

		California Pacific Home Improvement. Showroom: 7081 Consolidated Way, San Diego, 92121 760-734-6900• Fax 760-740-0399 Lic# 675332

Solar Hot Water

Every home needs a ready and adequate supply of hot water, for bathing, washing and cleaning. The means of providing this supply should ideally be energy efficient, environmentally friendly and maintenance free...

Solar water heaters can help save on water heating costs by reducing the amount of gas and electricity needed to heat water. By using sunlight to heat water instead of a combustible source or power plant-produced electricity, less pollutants are being introduced into the environment.

A solar water heater uses the sun's energy rather than electricity or gas to heat water, thus reducing your monthly utility bill. When installed properly, solar water heaters are more economical over the life of the system than heating water with electricity, dedicated heat pumps, heat recovery units or propane.

Solar Hot Water Systems

ACTIVE SYSTEMS

Active systems use pumps to circulate water or other heat transfer fluid through the system. When sunlight heats one or more solar collectors sufficient for water heating, sensors and a controller activate a pump to circulate a fluid - either potable water from the storage tank or a food-grade antifreeze solution in climates exposed to freezing conditions.

An active system also has a flat-plate collector on the roof and a solar storage tank which is usually located in a garage or utility room. An electric pump circulates the water between the collector and the indoor solar storage tank whenever solar energy is available and needed to increase the temperature of the water in the solar storage tank.

PASSIVE SYSTEMS

A passive water heater consists of a water tank integrated into or located above a solar collector. These systems are suitable only for warm climates where there is no risk of freezing.

In a passive system where the storage is separate from the collector, as water in the collector warms, water flows by natural convection through the collector to the storage tank. Water gets hotter as it progresses up through the copper tubes, and then to the tank. This pre-heated water feeding the tank causes the electricity to not need to turn on.

Size Chart

Hot Water for:	Water Heater Type	Solar Collectors
2-3 people	40+ gallon electric	2
2-4 people	40+ gallon electric or gas and 50+ gallon solar tank	4
4-6 people	40+ gallon electric or gas and 50+ gallon solar tank	4-6

Note: All gas water heaters require a separate solar storge tank.

Q&A

How much roof space is required for a Solar Thermal system?

Not much. On most homes two 4 by 10 foot panels, covering 80 sq feet, will provide the average hot water needs for a family of four.

Will I have hot water when the sun goes down?

A solar thermal system captures the sun’s energy during the day and stores hot water in an insulated storage tank, so it is available any time.

Would solar increase the value of my home?

Every home is different, but a study published by the Appraisal Institute estimates that for every utility-bill dollar saved due to an energy improvement, you gain $20 in property value

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