Solar Thermal Article

Solar Thermal is the heating of air or water using the energy of the sun. Imagine a cold crisp winter day and inside your home its toasty warm. You have not heard the furnace, or boiler, run. The gas bill came in the mail a few days ago and you smile to yourself knowing that this time last year you were paying double or maybe triple this amount. Now it’s time for a shower and get dressed for the day, again you smile knowing that your hot water is not going to take money out of your pocket. Even doing the laundry and washing dishes won’t make a dent in your wallet. Does this sound too good to be true? Well it’s not thanks to Solar Energy.

Up on your roof is a series of solar collectors that capture the heat from the sun and convert it to heating your hot water. A set of coils in your hot water tank are connected to these collectors and a heat conducting food grade glycol circulates, transferring this heat energy. If you have radiant floor heat and a boiler system then a set of coils would be connected to another holding tank that is connected to your boiler. This tank preheats the water for your boiler so it doesn’t have to work as hard burning gas to heat the house.

In as little as two days a thermal system can be installed on your home and you could start saving money. A team of two installers and a Mater Plumber are all that is needed. These highly trained personal work with your busy schedule so there is minimal amount of time needed to disrupt your life. 

What does this all mean to you? A smaller gas bill each and every month for the next 25 plus years. With the money you save on your gas bill, you could pay off a Solar Thermal system in as little as five to six years (without incentives or tax credits). Add on these credits and incentives and your return on your investment drops even quicker. 

Written by Robert Craig, Senior Engineer for D & R Energy Services.