Passive solar heating systems

Passive solar is method of using the energy from the sun to heat a home. It is extremely popular because the process is free once a passive solar home is created.

Passive solar can be used to heat home in colder areas, but you have to go into it with reasonable expectations. While the cold climate is a hurdle, the real issue is going to be length of time the sun beats down upon your property. If your home receives only four or five hours of direct sunlight a day, forget it. You will never produce enough energy to keep the home warm for sufficient periods of time.

Passive solar design is very popular in warm to mild climates because it is more or less a free method for warming a home. The manipulation of the position of the home and placement of large windows in the south facing wall is typical strategies for dealing with the issue. Obviously, large windows in a cold climate are going to result in significant heat loss regardless of the quality with which they are built. So, what can you do?

There are two primary approaches to creating a passive solar design that works in the winter. One is the use of a large Trombe Wall and the other is the greenhouse approach. Let’s take a look.

Trombe Walls are popular in passive solar designs because they effectively

convert sunlight to heat and are interesting from an aesthetic view point. significantly colder areas, the wall is going to need to be much larger, perhaps the full length of the home depending upon energy analysis and cold weather expected. An energy audit of the home is the only to arrive at definitive answer.

You are also going to have to incorporate a flip strategy for the heat. This means you need to create an air circulation method whereby you draw the hot air into a secondary space behind the wall. The circulation should be done on a timer similar to the solar thermostats used on solar hot water panels. The point is to keep the built up heat from escaping back into the environment.

solar pool heating systems

One of the biggest energy expenses for homes is heating pool. Using power of sun can keep you swimming in the middle of winter.

If you have a pool, you know heating it can run your utility bill through the roof. Fortunately, there are a number of practical steps that can be taken to cut costs.

Many people who complain about the cost of heating their pools fail to take common sense steps to cut the bill. One of the unrealized costs is the power required to run filter circulation system. Spend the money on a high powered pump and you will save money. The more you pump, the less time it will need to be on.

Next, make absolutely sure you use a cover for the pool. Heat escapes through uncovered surfaces. If you’re not using the pool, put a cover on it just like you would a hot tub. Try to add a solar bubble cover, which will create a bit of water heat by letting sun in. Regardless, using cover will make a major difference in your utility bill. Don’t be lazy! Make sure you keep on

Even pool covers can only do so much keep pool warm. Solar heating systems for pools can be cost effective way to keep water warm throughout much of year without driving your utility bill through the roof.

Solar water heating systems

Solar energy is one of biggest forms of energy, ever witnessed by mankind. The amount of energy, sun emits every second is certainly incomparable to any other source of fossil fuel existing on earth. With advancement in science and technology, we all have learned to build and use solar equipment and save rapidly depleting fuels. The solar water heater is one such home appliance that runs on solar energy.


Solar water heaters are any day a better alternative to water heaters that run on gas other non renewable fossil fuels. I know, you are quite concerned about the depletion of natural resources and therefore are enthusiastic about using water heater, but here you might be confronted with the question, how to install a solar water heater? So consider the following information, that helps you in your homemade solar water heater plans.

DIY Solar Water Heater Plans
Installing solar water heater all by yourself, might be bit difficult, as it involves the consideration of many factors before installation. You need to have the knowledge of the local weather, the amount of sunlight that you'll be receiving, safety criteria and the code requirements of the local apartment. , if you have a proper knowledge and understanding of all the aforementioned things, you are qualified for DIY solar water heater installation. Here is the actual procedure for it.

Gas heating systems

Central heating plays a major role in the daily lives of millions of people around the world. When autumn ushers in every year and the scarves and coats start to fill the streets, it is also time to switch those heaters on. One of central heating approaches that have become quite popular these days is central gas heating. In order to understand central gas heating, it is first necessary to take a look at central heating in general. What does it mean? How is it carried out?

Defining Central Heating

Central heating, in simple terms, means heating from one central source. heating should not be confused with local heating. everything is working correctly, it should be a

ble to turn itself on and off automatically, use no more fuel than necessary, and have house at the ideal temperature.

Central Heating Methods

In most of Northern Europe, where people seldom use air-conditioning systems due to cold climate, houses come with central heating installed. They normally use water circulation, hydronic, steam and gas heating systems.

Boiler heating systems

The industry size and production capacity has improved rapidly. In recent years, driven by strong demand for power generation equipment, the power plant boiler industry ushered in an unprecedented opportunity for development, has made considerable progress. With the highest point of the historical value of production compared to total industrial output value (current prices) 450 billion yuan in 2001 5.3 billion to 8.5 fold. Power plant boiler output of 97.543 million kilowatts, in 2001 11.73 million kilowatts of 8.3 times. China's annual output of power generating equipment accounted for about 50% of world production, power generation equipment to the global net amount of the contribution rate of 50% or more, has become the world's largest power plant boiler manufacturer.

The full realization of objectives of product upgrades. More than 10 years ago, 30 kw thermal power units still need to import. By the end of 2007, 30 million kilowatts, 600,000 kilowatts and above grade units, respectively of the total installed capacity of 50.15% and 21.53%. According to branch of statistics, in 2008 the first three quarters, completed a total of 70.783 million kilowatts power plant boiler, 30 million, 600 thousand kilowatts or above grade boilers accounted for 24.6% and 51.7%, supercritical, ultra supercritical thermal power generating units have been promoted to the main machine type. As of the end of September 2008, has accumulated production for 60 million kilowatt supercritical, ultra supercritical boilers 186 units, of which: 600 thousand kilowatts rating supercritical boiler 150 units, 600,000 kilowatts class ultra supercritical boilers 15 units, 1 million kilowatts Ultra supercritical boiler 21 units (10 units have been put into operation). , supercritical, ultra supercritical boiler technology has reached the international advanced level and become the world's most widely used large scale circulating fluidized bed boilers country.

Baseboard heating system

The installation of new toilets, tubs, sinks, vanities, and flooring are typically involved in a bathroom remodeling job, however sometimes the heating element is forgotten. Refinishing your Bathroom's Baseboard Heating Element Covers can play a major role in restoring look to your bathroom.
Bathrooms, as well as Kitchens, Laundry rooms and basements, are more likely to see rusty baseboard heating element covers due to the high moisture levels and condensation that typically occur in them.
There are several rust resistant baseboard heating element covers available on the market today, however it can be very expensive to replace your existing baseboard heating elements with these new products.

Refinishing or restoring baseboard heating elements is something simple enough for homeowner to do (with the right knowledge) and can save significant dollars. Installing new baseboard heating elements, on the other hand, typically involves the cost of entire new heating element and a plumber.
So if your thinking about remodeling your bathroom don’t forget to include your hot water baseboard heating element covers to the list of tasks to do.

Solar heating systems

The world faces an imminent energy crisis. Moreover, there is the perpetual threat of environmental pollution. As a result there is a conscious effort everywhere to switch to alternative modes of power generation that do not pollute the environment, are sustainable and do not rely on the consumption of our already dwindling reserves of fossil fuels. Wind power technology is not a novel invention, but actually dates back to the time of the early settlers who used the power of the wind for crushing grains with the help of gigantic windmills having ‘sails’ measuring 10 to 20 feet. However, it was not until 1979 when Danish engineers developed small (and practical) electricity generators fitted with light PVC blades capable of producing electricity that wind power became practically feasible and commercially viable. This paved the way for the wind power turbines that we see today.

The success of the Danish engineers didn’t go unnoticed by the world and other nations were quick to follow in their footsteps. As a result, soon after their first appearance, wind turbines came up in great numbers all across the US and the UK. No wonder, they were often dubbed as ‘roaring monsters’ due to the great noise made by rotors. However, use of better bearings and careful redesigning of the inner mechanism have reduced the noise to intermittent ‘wheezing’ heard during times when the turbines are spinning at high speed. In fact this is one of the top reasons why wind turbines are rarely installed in residential areas or close to human habitation.

Hydronic heating system

Radiant flooring system transfers heat directly from the hot floor to the people or objects in the room through radiation. floor heating system is more efficient than the baseboard heating or the usual forced air heating, as there's no loss of energy through the ducts.

The radiant flooring can be categorized in to three types: radiant air floors (air is the heat-carrying medium), electric radiant floors and hydronic (hot water) radiant floors. There are mainly two techniques that can be used for installing these floors: dry installation and wet installation. In dry installation, the radiant floor tubing is inserted between the two layers of plywood or the tube is attached under the finished floor or subfloor. In wet installation, a large thermal volume of a concrete slab floor or lightweight concrete over a wooden subfloor is used.

Hydronic Radiant Floor Heating System
Hydronic radiant floor heating system pushes the hot water out from a boiler through a tubing laid in a pattern below the ground. The tube carries the hot water to different rooms, dispersing the heat through the floor surface. It is a closed loop system in which the cooler water comes back to the heat source where it is heated again and then transmitted. hydronic system can use a variety of energy sources to heat the water like oil-fired boilers, solar water heaters and gas fired boilers. Of all these, gas-fired boilers are the best, especially for a newly constructed home and can be installed by using dry or wet installation methods. The water heater or boiler is connected to a manifold that comprises of a system of separate pipes that channel the water from a single source into multiple zones. the manifold, the heated water is transmitted through a pattern of PEX tubing by a re-circulating water pump. It is one of the most durable tubing that doesn’t get brittle over time and remains unaffected by aggressive concrete additives or water conditions.

Central heating system

Most domestic heating systems today are gas central heating which consists of boiler and a series of radiators to provide heat to individual rooms or areas in the house. boiler is the heart of a gas central heating system and will pump water to the pipes feeding the radiators, which in turn, radiate heat.

It is common however, for radiators to become clogged or blocked with sludge and debris which can cause a gas central heating system to under perform and subsequently lose heat.

We must therefore prevent damage to the boiler by regularly maintaining and ensuring they are functioning correctly. If you are wondering how to know if radiator has sludge in it then there are some obvious signs like 'cold spots', whereby only parts of radiator will be hot while others are noticeably cold.In any case, it is good practice to regularly maintain system to ensure or prevent any such sludge from building up in the system. There are also a range of additive that you can employ into water that will assist in keeping your central heating system clean.

Home heating systems

There are gas and oil furnaces now available that have a pilot light to warm the heat exchange unit. gas or oil fueled furnaces have a specially designed flue from where the exhaust gases are thrown out of the home. In the electric furnace, there are heating strips or elements that help to warm the air. In comparison to the other furnaces, the electric furnace system is cleaner and simpler in operation. In a wood or coal furnace heating system, the design accommodates a sealed firebox. It is in the fire box that the fuel is burned. The in-built heat exchanger is the space within which the air is directed and re-directed and automatically warmed before being delivered to the desired space within the home.



Another innovative heating system involves the use of metal vents. The metal vents are usually placed in the floors or on the walls of the different rooms. In the home furnace heating systems, there is always a thermostat. The temperature is controlled by the settings on the thermostat, which is usually fitted onto a wall. In the case of the home furnace heating systems that use oil as fuel, the tanks containing the oil are buried.

Electric Heat Pump home heating system:

The heat pumps basically shuffle heat from one space to another. These fittings work both ways, to heat the rooms in winter and to serve as air conditioners during summer. Heat pumps are designed to extract warm air from the outdoors - from the ground or water. The extracted air is then warmed by the system if further necessary and circulated. Even though the thermostat appears similar, the electric heat pump home heating system thermostat also includes controls for air conditioning.