Who is the solar water heater for?
For solar people
For lovers of hot baths and hot showers
For the thrifty
For green people
Solar water heater: the solar solution for your domestic hot water
No need to blush, we know, you are a solar person. True ? And if you also live in a detached house in a sunny region and want to save energy for hot water, the solar water heater is THE solution for you. Easy to install, the individual solar water heater (CESI) is an economical and ecological supplement to your current domestic hot water production system.
In addition to this, you need to know more about it.
Operation of the solar water heater
What is a solar water heater?
The solar water heater captures the sunlight to heat the water in a tank to produce domestic hot water for your home.
It is made up of 3 elements:
One or more thermal solar panels that capture the sun
A tank to store hot water
A heat exchanger with heat transfer fluid to transfer solar energy between the thermal panel and the tank
How does a solar water heater work?
A solar thermal panel placed on the ground or on the roof captures solar radiation and transforms it into thermal energy. The solar panel is connected to a hot water tank via an exchanger. A so-called heat transfer fluid circulates between the solar panel and the balloon. Passing through the solar collectors, it absorbs the heat emitted by the rays of the sun and returns it to the hot water tank, passing through the heat exchanger. Then the cooled fluid goes back to the solar collectors to recover heat again as long as the sunshine allows it.
The solar water heater can cover up to 100% of hot water needs in summer. But on bad weather days, back-up energy directly connected to the hot water tank must take over. You have two options: either install an additional electric resistance, or keep your current system as a back-up to the water heater. Note that any type of back-up is possible, such as a gas or oil boiler or keep your existing electric water heater for example.
Advantages of solar water heater
The CESI is a hot water production system that has many advantages.
Significant energy savings on your energy bill thanks to the privileged use of free energy, the sun. The savings are estimated at around 40 to 85% depending in particular on the type of water heater chosen and the amount of sunlight in your home.
As a bonus, you can also feed a dishwasher or washing machine with the hot water produced, which avoids the high energy consumption of these devices for water heating. One more saving!
An ecological hot water production system since it mainly uses non-polluting and inexhaustible energy. Exit fossil fuels which are thus preserved and allocated for other uses. The solar water heater also significantly reduces your CO2 emissions and therefore helps to preserve the environment.
A reliable, durable device (lifespan of more than 20 years) and which requires little maintenance. This mainly consists of checking the installation every one to two years (pipes, water heater fixings on the roof, etc.) and replacing the coolant if necessary. Regular cleaning of the solar collectors is also recommended. Do not hesitate to call your installer for the maintenance of the solar water heater.
You can upgrade your CESI by combining it with photovoltaic solar panels to produce both electricity and domestic hot water.
Another possibility is available to you: connect your solar water heater to your heating system, if the configuration allows it, in order to produce heating in addition to the DHW. This is called solar heating or combined solar system (SSC) .
The purchase and installation of a solar water heater are eligible for numerous public aids which reduce the initial investment and accelerate the amortization which is estimated at only a few years.
Ease of installation of the solar water heater
Installing a solar water heater in your home is rather simple, but requires some prerequisites. The installation of solar collectors on the roof of a home requires expertise and know-how essential to comply with the regulations in force:
Carry out a feasibility study to verify the profitability of the device for your case. This study analyzes in particular the slope, the exposure and the orientation of your roof.
Check that the level of sunlight in your home is sufficient to be able to produce hot water.
Submit a work permit application to your town hall.
A Qualisol approved solar water heater installer can assist you in these steps, which guarantees you an efficient and durable installation. He will be able to advise you on the type of device best suited to your situation, the surface area of the solar panels and the size of the balloon to be installed, as well as the power required.
Entrusting your project to a Qualisol installer is also an eligibility criterion for obtaining certain aid in order to best finance your project.
Solar water heater: price
The cost of a CESI may vary depending in particular on:
the type of water heater chosen (heat transfer liquid water heater, self-draining water heater)
the integration of sensors into the roof
the type of backup chosen
of the geographical situation
Our qualified RGE Qualisol installers can estimate the purchase and installation price of such a system free of charge, depending on your configuration.
Assistance for installing a solar water heater
That's it, have you made your choice? Have you decided to save your bank account and the planet by opting for a CESI? Congratulations! The public authorities encourage you in this direction by offering you various aids and subsidies for your project, on condition that you call on an RGE installer: MaPrimeRénov ', VAT at 5.5%, Eco loan at zero rate (Eco-PTZ), regional and local aid ...
Enough to significantly reduce your investment and make it profitable as quickly as possible.
