CREATIVE SOLAR

ON-FLOOR HEATING SYSTEMS ~ WELL SUITED FOR SOLAR
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Solar Home Heating FAQs

1. How well does solar heating work in Nova Scotia? Even with all of our not-so-nice weather and days where cloud cover is better than 2/10ths, Nova Scotia easily has enough sunshine to produce a heating resource that can be tapped to make a significant difference to your home heating bill. Nova Scotia has solar insolation values and climate conditions that meet or exceed those of other countries that have been reaping the rewards from solar for many years. There are many successful solar installations in Nova Scotia that have been in place for decades. (All solar data obtained from Environment Canada and the National Atmospheric and Space Administration.)
  
2. Are there many homes that are using solar for heating? Very few homes in this province are taking advantage of this free resource due to a wide-based misunderstanding of what is possible and realistic in our climate.
 
3. What do I have to do to determine if solar will work for my home? After ensuring that the building envelope is at its maximum efficiency, an energy needs analysis must be completed to determine the…

(a) heating load requirement for the building, i.e. total BTUs for square footage & demand*;
(b) type and quality of the heating system: new or existing;
(c) suitability of the home for a solar installation;
(d) % of the heating load that can be offset by solar.

* All Creative Solar heating applications must have a load analysis completed prior to specification of any equipment or heating recommendations.


4. If applicable, how much would a system cost? Each home or structure will have its own heating system requirement and must be evaluated and priced independent of any other.  Costs will be based on existing systems (solar and heating) and complexity of designs.  As an example, an average Nova Scotia home is roughly 1700 square feet: a basic design may cost as little as $8,000 as an extension to a solar DHW system.
 
5. How big a difference can solar make to my heating bill? Knowing that our heating season includes the spring and fall months, our analysis has shown that up to 50% of the home’s heating requirements can be offset by a well designed solar system. One of the best applications for that system will be those ‘shoulder season’ months in the spring and fall.

6. Does it matter how I am presently heating my home? Solar can be used to supplement any type of heating system.  However, some will be easier to work with than others which can lead to variances in the installed costs. The majority of Nova Scotia homes have three types of heating systems:

♦ Hot water (hydronic) systems use various forms of convectors or radiators. The radiators will all produce energy at different temperatures. Radiant floor systems typically expel heat at low operating temperatures. Homes with this form of convection are ideal for solar and will generally exhibit the lowest costs. Baseboard radiators generally require higher operating temperatures. However, they can be designed to operate at lower temperatures as would be applicable during the shoulder seasons when we have great solar gain. If your homes existing system is properly installed, the requirement to provide the high operating temperatures is most relevant only during the core winter months. The same principal applies to wall radiators and cast iron radiators as these systems generally require more energy and thus bring higher installation costs.

♦ Hot Air systems are easily coupled with active solar thermal and solar air.  Again, the systems are designed to operate with a fixed air temperature. The injection of heated solar air into the existing duct network during shoulder seasons will dramatically reduce the need for the primary furnace to operate.

♦ Electric heat systems can be the most challenging. This is due to the fact that they have no existing network in place to distribute the solar energy. Options with these systems include injecting solar heated air into the existing heat recover ventilation system or by implementing active solar air collectors. The efficiency of this approach will depend on the quality and design of the existing air exchange system.

7. What’s the first thing I should consider to heat my home with solar? Always, an energy analysis comes first.  No design can be undertaken without knowing the specific requirements of the home and the type of system to be installed. Improvements to the building envelope should always come before or in concert with upgrading the energy source, including solar.
 
8. Which solar system works best? The system that works best is the one that is custom designed for your home! This will be the correct type and number of solar collectors matched with the heating controls and storage tanks to ensure that your home can gain the maximum efficiencies and comfort level. Creative Solar does not believe that one size fits all.  We can supply all types of solar systems, some of which can be seen here. Care should be taken to ensure that CSA/ULC equipment is being used, especially for new homes in Nova Scotia since all must be CSA 383 compliant for solar. (CSA: Canadian Standards Association - recognized testing organization for solar products in Canada)
 
9. I already have a solar system on my home – can that be used for heating? Possibly. This will depend on how much care has been taken to allow for an expanded system at the time of installation. Controls, collector location, pipe sizing, available space in utility area - all this and more must be considered when building the system.
  
10. If solar heating worked for our home, how much should I expect to save? Knowing that every home will present unique parameters and challenges, general conclusions can be misleading. However, we believe that a realistic expectation for a solar offset would be 40-50% of the home’s total energy bill. This applies to the energy savings that relate to domestic hot water and space heating combined - those systems account for a total of  approx. 80% of all the energy that goes into a home.

11. Is there any difference between new homes and existing when building a solar heating system? A new home presents many more opportunities to get it right. Considerable advantages are gained when solar is integrated into a new home’s total heating system and energy requirements.  Significant efficiencies can be created in the early planning/design process, well before any on-site work is undertaken.  That, combined with the ability to absorb the costs of the upgrades into the home’s mortgage, will create an ‘energy payback’ on each and every payment for the life of the financing. Click here for more on new homes.
 
12. What's my next step? Contact Creative Solar to explore your options.  We will only undertake those projects where all factors have been considered and where the homeowner can expect a reasonable return on investment from the use of solar energy.