Buyer's Guide to Solar Heating

(Page 5 of 5)

December 2006/January 2007
By Dan Chiras 
Article Tools
Print
Comments
RSS
Bookmark and Share

Cansolair provides another simplified wiring solution. Its Solar Max is a glazed collector made from 240 empty aluminum cans, painted black and arranged in 15 vertical columns. Air flows through the solar-heated cans, pulled by an indoor fan in an attractive console that plugs into a 120-volt wall outlet. The fan unit also has a washable filter that helps keep indoor air clean. (To read about a DIY solar heater that utilized aluminum cans, see “A Solar-Heated Church” in our Archive.—Mother)

RELATED CONTENT

Solar hot-air collectors are often attached to existing walls or roofs, but DeSoto Solar sells collectors designed to be integrated into walls, reducing their profile. Such installations work especially well in new construction or when building an addition to a house, so the panel can be installed into the wall as the structure is framed.

Solar Comfort

If a solar hot-air system makes sense for your home or your business, you’ll be rewarded many times over. Once you’ve paid off your investment, you’ll get free heat for the life of the system. And perhaps best of all, you’ll be doing something positive to create a cleaner, healthier future.

— Contributing editor Dan Chiras lives in Evergreen, Colo., in a state-of-the-art environmental home. He’s written numerous books on green building and renewable energy—several are available on Mother’s Bookshelf. Dan is also the director of The Evergreen Institute.

Solar Sources

The Homeowner’s Guide to Renewable Energy
by Dan Chiras

“Solar Hot Air System Design” and “Solar Hot Air Systems, Part II”
by Chuck Marken; Home Power magazine, Dec. 2003/Jan. 2004 and Feb./March 2004.

Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings
by Alex Wilson, Jennifer Thorne and John Morrill; American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, 2003.

Page: << Previous 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Bookmark and Share
RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print

Comments

  • Gina 9/30/2009 7:30:11 PM

    I realize that this article is a few years old, so I would like to add some information about an amazing socially progressive organization that manufactures solar air heating panels. The organization is a non-profit called the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance (RREAL) based in Pine River, Minnesota. They manufacture the SPF Solar Powered Furnace solar air heat systems. They also design and install photovoltaic and solar hot water systems.

    The organization is headed by Jason Edens and BJ Allen. Their mission is to make solar power accessible to people of all income levels. They do this by offering the Solar Assistance program where solar air heat systems are installed on the homes of low income families who qualify for energy assistance for no charge to the families. The Solar Assistance program is supported by grants, donations, fund raising, and the profits from market-rate installs.

    I am a student in the Sustainable Living program at Maharishi University of Management and interned with RREAL for a month in May 2009. I was completely blown away by the dedication, generosity, and perseverance demonstrated by the people in this organization. I would love to see them get more support for what they are doing, promoting social justice, renewable energy, and reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

    If you do an update on this topic, please include them in your sources for solar air heating. More information can be found at rreal.org . They deserve your support.
    Thanks.
    Gina

  • SH 9/27/2009 9:41:16 PM

    Does anyone remember an article in Mother Earth News or Popular Science about solar air collectors, tube format that basically hung in your home toward windows that faced the sun, if I remember correctly, the black tubes were about 6 feet in lenght and would draw air up and out as being heated by the sun coming thru the windows. There was no power at all used. Its was a long time ago and I dont remember all the details? Do any one remember the rest of the story or have details?

    Thanks

    S

  • doug 1/8/2009 5:58:33 PM

    We have a 2100 sq ft home in Ohio. The house has no duct work it is currently being heated by electric baseboard heaters. Would this type of heating be recommended for a house like ours. We are wanting to heat our home with some sort of renewable energy but feel completely lost at the moment.

  • Dan 11/25/2008 6:56:13 AM

    This article to me is the unofficial source on what solar air heating is all about. It is very well written and I refer to it often.

    It is in part because of this article that we purchased and installed a solar air collector on our home's south wall this fall.

    We are writing a series of article on our family's home blog about our our adventures for those who want to read more about solar air collectors detailed installation, parts, performance, etc. If interested you can access the series of our home blog's solar air heating articles here:

    http://dailyhomerenotips.com/2008/11/10/solar-air-heating-part-6-unpacking-the-solar-max-240/

    However, this article states that the SolarSheat was able to constantly provide a temperature rise of 40 degrees. Well we purchased the Solar Max 240 from Cansolair for various reasons.

    What surprised me was the temperature rise we are experiencing. Using just an Infra-red temperature reading device, we measured a temperature rise of 60+ degrees in the ceiling vent 24 feet away from the Cansolair product, from a temperature around 72 degrees F at 7 am before the sun came up to between 135 to 140 degrees F about an hour after the unit was on.

    Various manufacturers are out there and as shown in Mother Earth News there are various DIY construction plans for those with the apptitude, patience and time for these wonderful environmentally friendly supplemental heating sources.
    Dan

Add Your Comment

Please note that there is currently a problem with the comments function and your comment may or may not post successfully. We are working to correct the problem and thank you for your patience. 

You can use this comment form to enter your personal experiences or additional information and resources that you'd like to share with Mother Earth News readers. Your helpful advice will be posted on this page.  E-mail addresses are never displayed on comments, but they are required to confirm your comments.

Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br> tags.

New to Mother Earth News?
Sign up to share comments.
Asterisks(*) indicate required fields.
Name*
Your name appears next to your comment.

E-mail Address*
This will be your login ID.

City State Zip Code

Password*


Confirm Password*

Comments
1500 character limit (Offensive materials and/or spam will be removed, no HTML allowed)
Please Note: Your sign-up must be verified via e-mail before your comment is published.
FEATURED ARTICLES
MOST POPULAR


Subscribe Today - Pay Now & Save 66% Off the Cover Price

First Name: *
 Last Name: *
Address: *
 City: *
State/Province: *
 Zip/Postal Code:*
Country:
 Email:*
(* indicates a required item)
Canadian subs: 1 year, (includes postage & GST). Foreign subs: 1 year, . U.S. funds.
Canadian Subscribers - Click Here
Non US and Canadian Subscribers - Click Here

Lighten the Strain on the Earth and Your Budget

Mother Earth News is the guide to living — as one reader stated — “with little money and abundant happiness.” Every issue is an invaluable guide to leading a more sustainable life, covering ideas from fighting rising energy costs and protecting the environment to avoiding unnecessary spending on processed food. You’ll find tips for slashing heating bills; growing fresh, natural produce at home; and more. Mother Earth News helps you cut costs without sacrificing modern luxuries.

At Mother Earth News, we are dedicated to conserving our planet’s natural resources while helping you conserve your financial resources. That’s why we want you to save money and trees by subscribing through our Earth-Friendly automatic renewal savings plan. By paying with a credit card, you save an additional $4.95 and get 6 issues of Mother Earth News for only $10.00 (USA only).

You may also use the Bill Me option and pay $14.95 for 6 issues.