Do you want to go green with your home, how about using a solar heating system? If that sound somewhat interesting, you have a lot of options to consider. One such option is to choosing either an active or passive solar heating system.
Now what is active solar heating system? This system is that which involves storing and harnessing solar energy in the form of heat. Fans and other similar mechanical devices are used to dispense heat that is harness and collected from the sun.
Silicon is the most common type of solar heat collectors for constructing Photovoltaic (PV) cells. The cells are typically contains or placed on solar panels which are located in the roof of the house.
Now, what are the types of solar collectors? There are two primary types. The main difference between these two types lies in the material that captures and helps to move the heat that is located in the solar collector.
The material usually consists of a gas or a liquid. For instance, an air-based system contains transpired air collectors or an air room heater. But on liquid-based systems usually contains water or an antifreeze element to capture and move heat around your house.
Generally the goal of such a system is to heat up to three-fourths of a home’s interior. When there is more than normal solar energy than a house needs is produced, the homeowner could then sell excessive power back to his or her local utility company.
It is always advisable to heat the air and water in your home so that the solar heating system can function throughout the entire year. This system is a low-technology method of capturing and harnessing solar energy.
It functions by the method of directly capturing the sun’s heat, and then retaining it within the house for the function of heating. This is mainly achieved through methods such as quality insulation and windows. This kind of system can tremendously lower your current heating cost or even replace your home’s current system.
How about passive solar heating? What are its components? One of the primary components of passive systems is windows.
The goal of the component is to maximize the amount of sunlight and heat that one can be collected during the daytime. Generally the common windows consist of a special kind of glass that absorbs as much heat as possible and then keeps it inside the house for a maximum amount of time.
Besides windows, there is another common component of passive solar heating systems which are trombes, a special type of wall. There is a pane of glass in front of the wall. This method is used to collect heat provided the space between the glass and wall.
Another common method is to paint the concrete walls black so they will absorb heat more rapidly and instantly. What are the benefits? This is generally an ideal option when you are looking for a solar heating system for a new home.
The reason is that passive solar heating systems are restricted due to many factors such as the location of the windows in the home, the location of the building itself, the amount of insulation in the building, and so on. These types of problems can be much challenging to make a change within existing homes, especially the location of the home.
Learning the basics of active and passive solar heating systems, it is now possible to determine which the best is for you and your family.