Solar heating

With the recent surge in energy costs and the great uncertainty that reigns over the evolution of prices, alternative and ecological solutions to reduce heating bills are experiencing a renewed interest. Among the proven solutions, we will focus here on the two main solar heating systems for the home.

The advantages of solar heating

Solar heating is an efficient, sustainable and economical solution to heat your home while reducing your environmental impact. By using solar thermal panels or warm air walls, you can benefit from the free and renewable energy of the sun to heat your home and reduce your energy consumption.

Solar heating can be adapted to a variety of situations and needs, whether it is to heat domestic water or air for indoor spaces. It can also be combined with other energy sources (gas, electricity, wood, etc.) to provide a complete and efficient heating solution. Solar panels for heating can last up to 25 years or more with regular maintenance.

Solar thermal heating

Thermal solar panels are composed of collectors that absorb the sun's heat and pipes that transport a heated fluid to a distribution system (floor heating) or storage system (tank).

An underfloor heating system is easy to install when building a new house and allows a direct use of the calories carried by the fluid. To install a solar heating system in a house already built and without redoing the floors, the heat transfer fluid is then redirected to a tank to heat the water. The water is then redistributed through the hydraulic network to heat the radiators, supply the shower, the sinks, etc.

Solar heating depends on the weather and cannot completely cover the heating and hot water consumption of a household. For an assured comfort, it comes in addition to your primary heating source: stove, electric radiators, heat pump, wood boiler, gas, etc.

Warm air walls

A warm air wall (also called an air-source solar panel or air-source solar collector) is a wall structure designed to capture heat from the sun and transfer it inside the home. Warm air walls consist of a heat-absorbing material and an air channel that distributes the heat through a small opening in the wall or roof.

This system makes it possible to heat and purify the ambient air of a room in the house. The air flow is interrupted during the night and a device allows to avoid a useless overheating on hot days. A warm air wall of 1m² allows to gain 5 to 7 degrees in a room of 20 m² without any external energy supply. The ventilation system is directly powered by an integrated photovoltaic solar panel. The warm air walls are thus completely autonomous.

The solar aerothermal panels offer an ideal solution on an old building or a second home to avoid humidity accumulation and to maintain a correct temperature without energy costs. Moreover, this solution is very affordable and usually costs between 1000 and 2000 EUR with installation. It is also possible to build a warm air wall yourself by recycling available materials for a budget of about 500 EUR.

Thermal comfort and energy savings

These two solar heating systems for the home allow you to reduce your energy bill and ensure greater independence in the long term. A solar thermal heater can cover up to 70% of a household's needs. A warm air wall can save up to 25% on your energy bill. Solar heating is therefore an option to consider in every home to ensure thermal comfort at lower cost for the future.

Solar Brother is currently developing a new aerothermal solar panel to make this technology even more efficient and accessible. To know more about it, click here !

Photo credits : PNGTREE / SPAH