Locating Your System

Location, location, location! You may have heard this phrase uttered by realtors but it also applies to solar energy systems.

Is you location suitable?

If your house has a south facing roof or wall with little obstruction to the sun you might have a perfect location for a solar thermal system. However, even if you don't have a suitable south facing site, due to the round shape of the evacuated tubes they effectively passively track the sun throughout the day which means that you can mount them on east-west facing sites too. Most manufactures state that the collectors need to be mounted at an angle equal to your latitude (i.e. Toronto = 43 degrees.) but if they are going to be used in conjunction with radiant in-floor heating systems then another 15 degrees should be added (Toronto = ~58 degrees).

Sizing Your System

Sizing the installation: You should always consider professional advice on sizing all the components needed for a solar water heating system but with a few small calculations you will be able to get a good idea of what's required in terms of collectors and storage tanks

How many people will be in the house on a daily basis? Generally people use roughly 20 gallons (75 liters) of hot water per day. As a rule use 20 Gal (75L) each for the first two people and 15 Gal (57L) each for the rest. This gives you a good indication on how big your storage tank should be. For example: 4 people = 70 Gal (265L) Storage tank.

How many tubes are required? The general rule of thumb for 100% contribution in the summer and less in the winter is 10-12 tubes per person. For example: 4 people = 40-48 tubes. Additional tubes may be added to provide a higher contribution in the winter (while mounting the collector at a steeper angle.)

Investing in Your System

How much do you have to invest?

A solar thermal system is an affordable way to lower energy bills and help the environment at the same time. As with other renewable technologies upfront capital is required to purchase the equipment and installation necessary. After installation your solar thermal system will provide many years of free energy provided by the sun.