Questions tagged [solar-thermal]
The solar-thermal tag has no usage guidance.
14
votes
6answers
4k views
Is Electric Central Heating worth it if using Solar Panels?
I understand that electric heating is less efficient and comparatively more expensive than gas heating (propane or natural gas), but considering I live in Texas (a lot of sunlight) and I intend to ...
1
vote
0answers
59 views
What's the best method of insulating windows against solar heat?
(TL;DR at the end ;) )
I live in Western New York, and while it's pretty uncommon to reach temperatures over 95-100, it still gets pretty hot here, and we typically have 70-90% humidity on top of it. ...
0
votes
1answer
165 views
Solar powered thermal ballast - is it feasible?
My living room gets plenty of sun from big, west facing windows. As the cold weather is approaching, I wanted to make a device that leveraged this exposure to sunlight to store some energy and slowly ...
0
votes
2answers
97 views
How does a roof replacement impact recommended timing of solar panel installation?
I just found out that I should replace my (currently asphalt shingle) roof in the next year. I am also interested in evaluating the feasibility of installing photovoltaic and/or solar hot water panels....
2
votes
0answers
43 views
Combining a solar collector with photovoltaics
Our house has 10 solar collector panels, each 1 by 2 meters, installed around 20 years ago. By now their polycarbonate covers are breaking down due to the elements, and we've thought about the ...
4
votes
4answers
817 views
How can I add thermal mass to my house?
We're part of a real-time pricing program with our electric utility company, and a good strategy for offsetting electricity use during peak demand times is to pre-cool the house. The more thermal ...
0
votes
3answers
113 views
Can I put a PV panel on my roof and run wires into a room to a power resistor to generate heat?
Maybe a dumb idea, but can I just put a PV panel on my roof and run wires into a room to a power resistor to generate heat? I have just one room that I was thinking of adding this additional heat to. ...
1
vote
1answer
51 views
Using solar to heat water
I am designing a compact home on a high elevation in Colorado. There will be a finished basement apartment on a concrete slab and I was thinking of spiraling PVC pipe through the slab to heat it. ...
1
vote
2answers
240 views
Is it feasible to store adequate thermal solar heat overnight?
I'm considering a passive solar radiant heating installation in the Chicago area and was wondering if it would be feasible to store enough water/energy to support heating for most of the night. The ...
2
votes
2answers
86 views
What factors should I experiment with to improve the performance of a DIY solar hot water system?
Background:
Late in the summer last year I finally commissioned a DIY solar hot water pre-heat project. Very simple, drain back, open (vented) tank, PEX coil for a heat exchanger,
PEX plumbing ...
4
votes
1answer
102 views
Does a larger solar water heater equate to better water pressure?
Please excuse my ignorance - we want to buy a typical slanted rooftop solar water heater for our home. We thought 200L would be an acceptable capacity, but the vendor we visited today said that we ...
6
votes
5answers
378 views
Is it possible to make my own solar water heater?
After blowing (what I consider) a lot of money on 2 residential solar water heaters, over the last 6 years, dealing with 3 set of rather expensive inner-tank replacements, evacuation pipe changes I am ...
2
votes
1answer
105 views
Where can I find good resources on solar thermal backup options?
The 'what if the sun don't shine' problem is the difficult issue in solar thermal. Where can I find good solid test-based resources on the options for backup and their downsides? For example:
...
