Solar Space Heating & Hot water Drain-back System
This comprehensive system expands on the Solar Domestic Hot Water System, to also heat all or part of the house. The domestic water is pre-heated as in the domestic hot-water system above. More panels and a bigger tank are needed to also heat the house.
A system usually includes 5 to 10 solar panels and 400 to 700 gallons of water storage. The highly insulated rectangular, non-pressurized tank is added in the utility room, garage or basement. Solar heat is captured by the panels, transferred to the tank and stored in the tank, until needed to heat the house or domestic hot water. Up to 500,000 BTUs can be stored in a 4’ x 8’ tank to heat a house through the night, or a cloudy day, or to heat water for endless showers.
Space heating systems by other solar companies have failed because capacity and efficiency issues were not addressed properly. When these issues are addressed, large capacity systems can produce significant economy of scale and greater efficiency than smaller systems.
For instance, we design our own EPDM-lined tank, which can be assembled inside a given room or basement, without any door width issues. Our unique proprietary tank designs also greatly improve space use, insulation, simplicity, durability and heat exchange functions, all while reducing costs. It also drastically lowers the maintenance needs and the carbon footprint of the tank.
Careful cost benefit analysis shows that dual hot water and space heating systems have a shorter payback than domestic hot water only systems. Our system can save 70% of the total space heating and water heating bill of a house, offering the quickest pay-back of any solar energy home application!