Just this past week my friend Steve Mellinger of Blue Moon Enterprises enjoyed another successful installation of a solar-driven system for residential. This time it was a solar hot air system, and the client is very happy! In order to continue to promote alternative energy for Real Estate here in Lancaster and York Counties, I asked Steve to share with my readers about the project and the system:
Jeff: What did the client want to do?
Steve: The client wanted Solar Electric, but, being concerned about a proper outcome over just profit dollars, I suggested he do Solar Hot Air. The customer had serious building envelope issues and heat loss. I addressed the Heat Loss issues as part of the proposal as well as heat generation without costly electricity. He is probably going to do Solar Electric after all. He is very pleased with what we've already done.
Jeff: What type of system and piping? Tech tidbits.
Steve: Units (of which there are 4) are each rated by manufacturer at 15,000 btu/hour. 4 units would produce 60,000 btu/hour and on a good solar day our outcome should be about 300,000 btu's total. Had to, in this particular case, cut 8 inch holes in the roof and use 8 inch ducting throughout the project.
Jeff: Were there any particular challenges you overcame? Is flow an issue with hot air?
Steve: Flow can be easily be a challenge, but, with preplanning and the nerve to change action midcourse it is always doable, provided there are no unforeseen "immovable" obstacles in the path of the ducting. Of course, new construction is the best for ideal duct routing.
Jeff: OK, for those of us who don't know about solar hot air, how does it work?
Steve: Very simple. Solar radiation, as opposed to photons, is absorbed at 80% of the sun's output with the proper material and if contained well and airflow is good (key component), the cooling of the units makes for the heating of the environment it is transported to.
Jeff: What would make a reader want to call you to get one of their own?
Steve: Solar Hot Air is simple in theory, hard work to implement and when done will provide the 3 heating season's with additional heat to lessen and sometimes eliminate other heating methods and therefore lessen the amount spent over time. The only moving part in this method is a fan(s) and with good planning, even if it fails at some point down the road it is easy and cheap to replace. Other than that there is nothing to go wrong and there is no reason to think that it wouldn't be working 40 years from now. Like Solar Electric, the right panels will hold up to any weather conditions. Anyone that takes issue with opening the roof has to realize that
there are millions of skylights out there and putting Solar Hot Air in is no different. Sealing the roof is not difficult, especially with today's products.
I'm passionate about helping Americans understand lifestyle change that can benefit them both now and for future generations. Solar Heat (Hot Water) is used for every home in ISRAEL! Energy independence is another benefit.
Jeff: Thanks for the great information, Steve! You can reach Steve at 717-295-1020 for more information on Solar and LED in Pennsylvania.
Gary - I will talk to Steve again tomorrow and perhaps get him to post a comment to your question.
Jeff~
You know the thing that struck me first about this was the photo of the home w/ solar panels in place and how attractive the photo was including the panels! When people are considering solar panels, one deterrent in the past has been the notion that they are UGLY. This photo tells me that is not the case.
I'm new to this blogging area, but, as I've already tried to answer some of you personally, I will try to answer some things here. JaneAnne, I think as you do that this is an attractive option. There are millions of homes with Skylights all over the country and these don't really look all that different. This leads me to Gary's question about leaking. With today's products for roof sealing, it is not really an issue of temperature changes as it is about proper installation. The right installation, with care taken to do a proper job of sealing, will yield a system that should be maintenance free for decades. The picture above shows a roof that was even better. I believe it is probably a 10 pitch roof and there is no chance of standing water on this one.
As far as ROI. That will depend on whether it is new construction or existing structure. Of course an existing structure will require more labor hours to remove/install the necessary areas for ducting. It will also depend on layout of the house and where the hot air needs to be transported to via the ductwork. ROI on this particular installation, in my estimation, should be about 5 years out, with free heat from there on for many years to come.
Jeff - great information. I am going to link to this on the Green Resource Directory - Alternative Power.
Very interesting stuff! Keep it coming!
Solar Hot Air System 4 units How much for system e mail wttspeg@verizon.net thank you Larry
Jeff - nice post. Very informative! I have two questions. Do the fans for the units run off of Solar cells or the AC from the house. Also could you put up a link to information about the hot air collectors, maybe at the top of the post. Thanks and keep the interesting articles coming.
It is always difficult to cut a hole in your home and especially the roof. The benefits are enormous.
Steve,
2 things, I assume the fans are temperature controlled and could you switch over to a liquid heat exchanger for hot water in the summer?
Just a thought.
This type of information / interview is very helpful. I hope to have solar on my roof some day!