Understanding solar water heating

You would have seen some homes with a few solar panels on their roofs and wondered what they were. These panels are actually used for water heating. So why do they want to use these panels? Solar water heating is not something new. It has been used for many years because apart from the refrigerator and the air-conditioning units in the home, water heaters consume the most energy that can rake up high electricity bills.

As such, using solar water heating means that you are now able to use free heat from the sun to heat up water for the home instead of paying for electricity.

Apart from helping you to save on bills, it is an environmental-friendly alternative which will reduce emission of carbon dioxide into the air. Furthermore, using solar water heaters can be very reliable as countries like Malaysia enjoys sunlight throughout the year.

What do you need about solar panels

To enjoy solar water heaters, you will need to install the solar panels. The initial investment might be a bit costly but if you consider this in the long-term basis, you will find that it is actually worth the purchase. The collectors or solar panels are mounted onto the roof. The heat collected will then be used to boil the water and then stored into ta hot water cylinder that can then be consumed.

There are in general 2 types of panels.

Flat Panel Collectors

– This is the most common types of panels which are usually mounted onto the roof of the house.

Evacuated tubes

– This type of panel is mounted onto the roof as well but is made up of tubes used to accumulate heat.

One of the main issues about solar water heating systems would be on maintenance as many home owners are worried that they will have to pay additional costs. In most cases, you should consider buying and installing solar panels from reputable brands and installers. Most of the systems come with 5 or 10 years warranty which means that if there are problems, the manufacturer or installer would replace the parts.

This is not very common as this device is installed in the place which is not accessible by humans all the time. However, it would be recommended that you engage a professional to carry out maintenance checks every 3 to 5 years to ensure that the solar panels are working efficiently. Furthermore, the panels can be installed on other locations as long as they are fully exposed to sunlight.