How to Use Solar Heat Energy on Buildings

There are a variety of ways to heat a building using solar heat energy. Active solar heating systems are complicated in how they collect, transfer and utilize solar energy. As a result, the most efficient way of using solar heat energy to heat a building incorporates a variety of green design features including radiant floor heating as well as solar hot water heating. However, depending on your climate, you will most likely need to supplement the hot water from the solar hot water heater with water from a traditional hot water heater in order to adequately heat your house throughout the winter.

Solar Hot Water Collector Installation

• 1

  Install your solar hot water collector. Using an old water heating tank, painted black and housed inside of a plywood box will suffice for a solar water heater if you do not want to spend money on a solar heating collector kit.

• 2

  Insulate the plywood box with double-paned windows and run a bead of caulk around the plywood box in order to seal the heat inside and prevent moisture from entering the box from the outside. Use a power-drill to place holes in the box for piping to circulate water back and forth from the solar hot water heater.

• 3

  Mount the collector on the roof using heavy duty steel brackets so that it is angled between 20 and 50 degrees. Position the solar collector so that it is angled ten degrees greater than the latitude of your location. Hence, if you live at 35 degrees latitude, angle your collector at 45 degrees. Connect piping to the solar hot water heater so that it allows water to flow from the traditional hot water tank to the solar hot water heater. Paint the piping black in order to help continue the heating of the water by solar energy.

• 4

  Use plumbing fittings to connect the solar hot water system to a swimming pool pump located near the hot water tank. Run PVC piping from the pump to the intake port to the traditional hot water tank. The piping going from the solar collector to the pump is then connected to the output connection for the storage tank so that you can switch to hot water from your solar system whenever you want to use it. Install a 1/2-inch PVC valve between the pump and storage tank so that you can use it as an on/off switch for sending water to the solar hot water system.

Connect Radiant Heating System

• 1

  Expose the joist bays underneath the floor of your home or building. Drill holes through the floor joists, at least two inches from the edges of the joist, so that you can wind the PEX tubing through the entirety of your floor joist bays, making the radiant system contiguous throughout the entire building.

• 2

  Install the aluminum PEX tubing tracks between the floor joists. Space each track so that they are six to eight inches apart from each other in order to maintain uniform heating throughout the building. Typically, there is enough room between floor joists for two tubing tracks.

• 3

  Snap PE piping into the PEX tubing tracks. Install insulation underneath the pipes so that the heat will not radiate away from the floor.

• 4

  Install a mixing valve that connects the hot water heater to the PE piping so that the water temperature can be regulated. If radiant floor heating water temperatures exceed 140 degrees, the wood flooring above could be damaged or warped.