How Do Solar Water Heater Panels Work

Solar water heaters also called solar domestic hot water systems can be a cost effective way to generate hot water for your home.

How do solar water heater panels work.

Instead of heating water the solar collectors heat a heat transfer fluid such as antifreeze. Solar thermal panels use heat from the sun to warm fluid passing through them as the diagram below shows. The water picks up the heat from the antifreeze but never mixes with it and is then pumped into a storage tank. Adding a solar water heater to a water heating system can reduce energy bills and corresponding co 2 emissions by 50 percent sometimes even more depending on.

Heat collected by the panel heats up water or oil or another fluid that flows through a circuit of pipes into a copper coil inside your hot water tank. Solar water heating systems include storage tanks and solar collectors. One solar heater is sufficient for the entire house. Types of solar thermal panels.

They can be used in any climate and the fuel they use sunshine is free. The traditional heater supplements the solar heater. The solar energy collected is then used to heat the water in your home. It provides hot water for your bath as well as in the kitchen and washing machine.

An immersion heater unvented hot water cylinder might be needed as a back up heater or to get the water to the temperature you want. On average it can heat water up to 212 f though you won t require more than 130 f. Instead these high efficiency appliances use dedicated solar collectors on your rooftop to draw power from the sun. How it works solar water heaters solar water heaters come in a wide variety of designs all including a collector and storage tank and all using the sun s thermal energy to heat water.

Solar water heaters are typically described according to the type of collector and the circulation system. This is then used to heat your water which is stored in a hot water cylinder. Unlike traditional water heaters solar water heaters don t use energy from the grid to heat water. Solar water heaters use the energy of the sun to give hot water.