Solar Air Heating Systems Gain in Popularity

[jpak]

http://www.azom.com/details.asp?newsID=6693

Alternative energy options are becoming more affordable, efficient and available ... or are they? As solar panels and solar air heating systems become more popular, supplies are actually becoming scarcer as manufacturers and distributors struggle to keep up with increasing demand. In fact, because of the recently popularized Net-Zero homes and new state programs like Pennsylvania’s Energy Efficient Affordable Housing projects, solar air heating systems for individuals and residences are becoming hot commodities and harder to get. How do you solve this problem? Educate a consumer, that’s how.

As heating oil and other fossil fuel prices rise, more and more people are considering the implementation of solar power and solar air heating into their homes. While these systems can cost 10-20 percent more up front, they ultimately pay for themselves in less than five years, especially in northern climates where they are in use for at least 75 percent of the year. There is also the added benefit to the environment as we reduce dependency on fossil fuels and lessen harmful emissions into the air.

Solar air heating systems collect solar power and convert it to heat. There are several systems that are perfect for residential application and the Alternative Energy Store offers an excellent tutorial in their newly enhanced “How To” section at AltEnergyStore.com. Helping customers learn and plan for their energy needs is a cornerstone of the philosophy at the Alternative Energy Store in Hudson, Ma. Still, with all the education in the world, with demand increasing and supplies dwindling, planning ahead is becoming part and parcel of implementing green energy into a home.

“We want to encourage consumers to plan ahead for their solar air heating system and electric power needs. All too often our customers come to us when their home heating bills are too high and we have to tell them that it could take months to get their solar air heating systems from the manufacturer because demand is so high,” said Sascha Deri, one of the founders of the Alternative Energy Store. “The answer is to plan ahead and try to buy in the spring or summer when there is obviously less demand for home heating solutions!”

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[mom cat]

1. Thanks and K&R

[Parisle]

2. Commercial systems are not the only way to go

---- Passive solar gain through such devices as Trombe walls and other thermal mass designs work extremely well, and they can usually be incorporated into the design of a house by a competent architect and contractor. And they mainly require bricks and concrete, which are relatively cheap. Throw in partial earth-berming and some form of geo-thermal "pump," ... again, relatively inexpensive technologies based on ordinary materials,... and you have a house which passively maintains a comfortable temperature within the range of outside temperatures of freezing-to-100. I've built a couple of houses like this, and they are actually cheaper to build.

---- The biggest problems with using these technologies are local codes and bank lending rules which "tell you" what systems you must have....

[Kolesar]

3. thanks for the link

www.AltEnergyStore.com

I am looking for better text on how to design or specify a solar domestic-hot-water heater. The table of typical power ratings was good. http://howto.altenergystore.com/Reference-Materials/Power-Ratings-typical-for-Common-Appliances/a21/