Solar Heating

What is Solar Heating?

Solar heating includes a variety of methods of heating your home by harvesting, storing, and distributing energy from the sun. Solar heating is most effective for “hydronic” heating systems, which use warm fluid (rather than hot air) for heating. Radiant floor heating, baseboards and some air-handling units can be used in hydronic heating systems; radiant floors work best with solar heating systems for several reasons.

Solar thermal collectors (PDF) are a key component of solar heating systems and work by capturing solar energy in the form of heat. Proven, efficient “selective-surface flat-plate” solar collectors ensure the highest year-round heat delivery in the southwestern climate. These solar collectors are filled with a high-grade non-toxic antifreeze solution, to ensure damage-free operation in very cold conditions. We mount the collectors on roofs, south-facing walls or the ground, depending on the building location and desired aesthetics.

If you are planning a re-model or building a new home, it is best to involve Cedar Mountain Solar in the building process early so we can make recommendations in building design and infrastructure planning to help the heating system use as little energy and deliver as much heat as possible. We often collaborate with architects, engineers and contractors during the planning and design process to most effectively incorporate solar solutions into building design. Using Energy-10, a computer simulator of the thermal performance of a building, compiles real local weather data to evaluate accurate system requirements for your heating needs.

All Cedar Mountain Solar heating systems are designed to operate automatically, with no user interface.
• Controls ensure prioritization of domestic hot water over other heating loads, so that shower-temperature water is always available.
• The backup heat source is automatically started by the system controls, so heat and hot water are never interrupted.
• Unique night-sky radiation controls allow systems to “self-cool” while the house is unattended for extended periods—in the past collectors had to be covered when the system owner went on vacation.

Solar Heating Methods

Cedar Mountain Solar heating systems can be incorporated into any hydronic heating system including: