Once solar energy is mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind is a solar energy system, which is primarily used to power a home by converting solar energy into electricity through solar panels. But solar energy can be used for much more than that, solar heating systems are also one of the most popular solar energy applications. It utilizes solar energy to cool or heat a home and can reduce our electricity bills.

1. What is a solar heating system?

A solar heating system uses south-facing windows to collect sunlight in the winter and transfer the heat to the walls or floors to keep them heated for a long time. In the summer, it keeps the house bright by preventing too much sunlight from entering the house. There are two types of solar heating systems: active solar heating and passive solar heating.

1.1 Active solar heating

Active solar heating system is also called forced heating system. Active solar heating system consists of solar collector, pipeline, fan, heat storage device, indoor cooling end and so on. The solar collector converts solar energy into heat energy and transmits it to the pipeline, warming the air and liquid inside the pipeline. The heat generated inside the ducts can be directly transported to the indoor space through the ventilator or stored in the heat accumulator.

The thermal utilization of active solar energy can be classified as follows

1.11 Hot air collector heating system:

Generally, solar air collectors are installed on the south-facing side of the house to draw in cold air and heat it up, and after passing through the crushed stone heat storage layer, the warm air is blown into the room through a fan. It is also necessary to have auxiliary heat sources and control and regulation devices to ensure a stable supply of energy.

1.12 Solar hot water heating system:

1.121 Radiant floor heating

A collector is installed on the roof or south-facing wall to collect solar energy, and the heated liquid can flow through pipes embedded in the concrete floor to radiate heat to various locations in the room through auxiliary heat sources, water circulation pumps, auxiliary heating converters, and radiant floor heating coils.

1.122 Hot water skirting board heating system

Hot water skirting board heating systems are often installed on the skirting, hence the name. Pipes fitted to the skirting board carry hot water so that the heat in the hot water is transferred throughout the room.

The temperature of the water in the hot water skirting board is usually controlled at 70℃~85℃ for the best heating effect. Flat plate collectors can only heat the liquid to 32℃~49℃, so the system needs to be equipped with a backup heating system to raise the temperature.

1.2 Passive solar heating system

Passive heating system is also called natural circulation heating system. It does not require solar collectors to absorb heat. The heat used to heat and cool the house comes directly from the sun through the windows into the rooms. Its heat storage system is mainly found in the insulation in the walls and floors of the building. This often requires the building to have an ingenious spatial structure as well as suitable building materials, construction, etc. The building is heated and cooled by means of natural heat exchange.

2. Advantages and disadvantages of active solar heating systems

Advantages:

2.1 The device can be installed directly on an existing house to cool and heat the home, which is easy to install.

2.2 Installing an active solar heating system avoids paying high electricity bills and is relatively more economically efficient.

2.3 Utilizing renewable solar energy for energy supply is cleaner and good for the indoor environment and ecology.

Disadvantages:

Initial installation, you need to pay for the installation of solar heating system equipment, compared to passive solar heating system is more expensive.

3. Advantages and disadvantages of passive solar heating system

Pros:

3.1 In passive solar heating system, there is no need to use active mechanism to collect and distribute solar heat. So in the initial installation, there is no need to buy too much equipment and it is cheaper as compared to active solar heating system.

3.2 It uses clean energy solar energy just like active solar heating system, which provides a favorable guarantee for creating a green environment.

Disadvantages:

The configuration of the house, the position of doors and windows in the passive solar heating system consists of strict requirements. So, if you are remodelling on an old house, it is not only troublesome, but the cost will be very big. Some old houses do not have insulation to store the heat energy gained during the day. So, it’s not very cost effective for remodelling a house.

4. What type of solar heating system is suitable for your home?

From the above analysis, we can know. For old or not easily remodelled houses, it is more recommended to install active solar powered system. It does not require much room and can be remodelled on the existing house. Though it incurs a higher cost when installed initially, it does Save our electricity bills in the long run.

For newly renovated or newly built houses, we can make some designs to make it suitable for the installation of passive solar heating system. This way, it incurs almost no installation costs and in use, it can reduce our electricity bills, which is a big benefit for homeowners of newly built houses.

There are other ways to solve the problem of your high electricity bills as well. Installing a solar power system is a great solution, it is the same as a solar heating system in that it utilizes renewable solar energy. What is not the same is that it converts solar energy into electricity to power the home directly.