Solar Radiant Heating Installation

Solar Radiant Heating

Because of the shorter days, lower sun angle, and higher chance of clouds in the winter, solar produces 1/3 the average power in the winter compared to what it does in the summer. So, there is an inherent mismatch between supply of solar heat and demand for heat in winter heating applications. You can size a system to provide a meaningful contribution in the winter, but that means that it will be providing much more heat than you need in the summer unless you are able to put that heat into a pool. That’s why domestic hot water for showers, etc., is a good fit for solar

thermal – because it provides a constant year-round demand. There are some climates and use cases where solar thermal can contribute meaningfully to a radiant heating system, and if you plan to go that route, then you might consider the system shown in the diagram above.

Open-Direct Solar Radiant Heating

As opposed to a closed radiant heating system, the open solar radiant heating system uses no heat exchangers (read: losses) nor a separate boiler system (read: expense). The open solar radiant heating system uses one heat source to provide radiant heating and domestic hot water to a home or building. The amount of BTUs needed to heat your home is something that a professional radiant designer or mechanical engineer can help you figure out when designing the system. When we refer to one heat source, this can be a Sunbank with an electric element installed, or a Sunbank pre-heating a water heater with or without storage (tankless). If the solution calls for the latter, then it is likely that the Sunbank can provide all of the hot water in the months without using any gas or electricity when radiant heating is not used and the backup heater kicks in during winter months.