Common questions about Heliodyne solar water heating systems.
Click on the headlines below to get the answers to your questions.
What is a Heliodyne residential solar water heating system?
What is a Heliodyne commercial solar water heating system?
What is a Solpal ICS solar water heating system?
Are there different kinds of solar water heaters?
How do active solar water heating systems work?
During periods when limited solar energy is available (cloudy days and winter months), the integral backup heat source will be activated to maintain an adequate supply of hot water to the household.
How much does a Heliodyne solar water heater cost?
- Size of the family to be served
- Geographic location within the U.S.
- Type of roof in which the panels are mounted
- Roof pitch and site conditions of home
- Distance from solar collectors to solar storage tank
- Type of backup heat source required
- Building code and permitting requirements
- Overall system installation costs may be reduced considerably depending on geography. The federal government currently offers a solar tax credit of 30% of the system installation cost, and many state and local tax credits, rebates and incentives may also apply.
* Please contact a Heliodyne installer near you for detailed pricing information.
* Visit www.dsireusa.org for rebates and incentives near you.
How much do the homeowners save?
How much homeowners will save depends on the size of the system, site conditions (shading, roof pitch, and orientation) and the hot water usage patterns of the family. Typically, water heating energy savings will be between 50% and 80% compared to a traditional tank-type water heating system. For the typical household, this represents an annual savings of 10% to 15% off of the total household energy costs.
How long does it take for a solar water heater to pay for itself?
However, if the solar water heating system is included in the construction of a new home, the homeowners can save more on their monthly energy bills than the increase in their house payment – the solar system provides a positive cash flow from the day they move in, effectively giving them an immediate payback.
How can homeowners finance a solar water heating system?
In some states, Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing may be available to cover all of the upfront costs for solar water heating systems. PACE financing effectively allows property owners to borrow money from the local government to pay for the solar system installation. The PACE program and other financing programs are being developed at state and local levels to help homeowners reduce and sometimes eliminate the need for upfront cash out of pocket.
Visit www.dsireusa.org/solar for complete details in your area.
From a cost standpoint, how competitive is solar water heating, compared to conventional water heating systems?
Can a Heliodyne solar water heating system replace an existing water heater?
Will having a Heliodyne solar water heating system affect how much hot water a homeowner will have?
Will homeowners have to change their bathing and cleaning routine?
Are Heliodyne solar water heating systems reliable?
How much space is required for a residential solar water heating system?
What quality standards exist for solar water heaters?
How does the orientation and pitch of Heliodyne solar collectors impact the solar heat gain of a solar water heating system?
Can Heliodyne solar water heating systems be used with radiant floor heating systems?
Can Heliodyne packaged residential solar water heating systems be used in commercial hot water applications?
Can Heliodyne residential solar systems be used in homes that have large garden, or jetted, tubs?
When sizing for a large tub, please follow the following steps:
- Select the Heliodyne system that is required for the number of occupants in the home (60-, 75-, or 115-gallon tank system).
- Determine if the Heliodyne system selected will meet the volume requirements of the large tub. The 60-gallon systems generally have about 30 gallons of backup storage volume, which by the 70% hot water rule, will support tubs up to about 40 gallons. The 75-gallon systems generally have about 40 gallons of backup storage volume, which by the 70% hot water rule, will support tubs up to about 60 gallons. The 115-gallon systems generally have approximately 70 gallons of backup storage volume, which by the 70% hot water rule, will support tubs up to about 100 gallons.
- If the Heliodyne system selected does not provide adequate backup volume for the large tub, you must add additional backup storage in the form of an additional standard gas or electric water heater installed downstream of the Heliodyne solar storage tank.
- Select a Heliodyne 75-gallon solar system
- 100-gallon tub x 0.70 = 70-gallon backup storage volume required (70% rule)
- Heliodyne 75-gallon solar tank has 40-gallon backup storage.
- Solar system is short 30 gallons of backup storage volume.
- To meet the 100-gallon tub hot water requirements, add a 30- to 40-gallon traditional gas or electric water heater downstream of the Heliodyne system.
For example, a three- to four- person home with a large 100-gallon jetted tub would be sized as follows:
While in this example, installing a Heliodyne 115-gallon system would meet the large tub volume requirements, doing so could result in an oversized solar system that may not perform optimally for the number of occupants in the home – a 115-gallon system should only be recommended if the 100-gallon tub were to be used on a daily basis.