Earth Power Energy Systems

Solar energy is becoming a popular source of free energy for our homes. Why is it becoming so popular? Energy from the sun is free energy, and any DIY projects that you complete using solar energy will show almost instant savings. Solar hot water heating will show the most dollar saving. A hot water heater in your home makes up for approximately 33% of your energy cost. Reducing this cost by establishing a solar hot water system can save you money almost instantly. Building your own solar system is not as hard as it may seem. Look at the options I have listed below.

1. Build a solar hot water collector; design one- Different designs are available for the do-it-yourself person. A new system that I came across uses the fairly new Pex© tubing. Pex© tubing is used in under-floor radiant heat applications, snow melting systems, and water-based hot water baseboard heaters. The solar collector is made of treated 2 x 4′s with plywood backing. The box is sized to allow 100′ of Pex tubing, serpentine the tubing inside the box with inlet and outlet outside of box. Painting the plywood black and insulating the back will keep your box warm. More on this box can be found on my website.
2. Build a solar hot water batch collector; design two- This system is not intended to be tied in to a pressurized system such as city water. This is for idea purposes, to help establish ways to build your own system. We will use two 55 gallon steel drums for this installation. One will be for pressure, the other the hot water collector. If you want to use with a city water pressurized system then the tank must be able to withstand pressure. You need to first paint your tank black to help absorb the sun’s energy. Next, build a box that you can lay the tank inside. Line the box with foil-faced insulation board available at your local home supply store. Place box in full sun light. I suggest covering the box and sealing using a piece of tempered glass that will withstand hail and wind. Using a series of temperature control valves you could automatically circulate water to a hot water tank in your home.

These are just two examples of what you can accomplish using your mind with a little common sense. Think about things in the summertime or anytime of the year that heat quickly with the sun shining on them. Even the sun shining through glass will result in a solar heating effect. I can show you the step-by-step process by visiting DIY Solar Hot Water Heater

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