Domestic Solar Heating

Increasing fuel consumption all around the world has prompted governments and environmentalists to promote the use of eco friendly renewable energy resources for meeting the energy needs in industrial, commercial, and domestic sectors. Fuel is used mostly for heating purposes; from the simple water heating utilities in households to huge furnaces in factories, heating requirements are everywhere, and fuel and other heating agents are consumed everyday on a large scale. This causes great demand for fuel and subsequent reduction in the availability of energy resources; there is also the danger of pollution caused by the toxic gases emitted by the combustion of fuels and the more serious issue of global warming. As an effort to protect nature and save energy, alternative energy resources like sun, water, wind, and earth are utilised to produce the energy needed for heating purposes. Among these, solar heating systems are widely used for domestic heating needs.

Domestic solar heating systems are of different types; solar water heating units, solar pool heating systems, solar central heating systems, etc. are some of the most commonly used domestic solar heating devices. Water heating solar panels collect the heat from the sun to heat water; in the simplest type of solar water heater, the sun heats the water in the collector pipes in the panel. There is also the indirect solar water heating system where the heating system absorbs the radiant energy from the sun into heat pipes which in turn heat the coil immersed in water tank, thus producing hot water. Another use of solar heating system is in pool heating. With the appropriate solar heating and solar insulation system, you can keep your swimming pool warm even on the coolest days. Even though the cost of installation of solar pool heating systems is high, they have practically no running costs and saves money by eliminating the need for conventional fuel based heating systems. There is also the benefit of low maintenance, higher efficiency, and longer life.

Domestic solar power systems do more than heating water and serving as central heating systems. Solar tubes are a great way to light up the interiors without spending a fortune on electricity or other fuels. They are easy to install and the initial cost will eventually pay for itself as you use less electricity, thereby saving energy and money. There is also the health benefit of using natural light which minimises headaches and eye strain.