If you have a house with hot water baseboards and wanted to heat it with

[GreenPartyVoter]

solar, how would you go about doing it? (Maine is very cold in the winters so I am not sure that your standard solar hot water plan would work.)

[newscott]

1. You might have to refloor? You know put those water tubes in the flooring?

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. I would love radiant heating, but it's not an option. :^(

[phantom power]

3. A solar pre-heater seems like the logical approach.

[MineralMan]

4. It's not going to be easy in Maine.

About the best you can expect is to be able to preheat the water somewhat before it goes to your boiler. It's expensive, because the water in the collectors has to be kept from freezing. My guess is that it's going to be impossible in any kind of economical way. Then there's snow, which pretty much messes up solar power unless you get up on the roof and clear it.

Check with a solar outfit in your area. Ask them what can be done and how much it would cost. Only someone in your area will have the correct information. It's complicated in cold-winter areas.

[GreenPartyVoter]

7. Well, they don't send water up to the roof in colder areas, but rather they

use food grade anti-freeze in the tubes. But still, how do you get it warm enough in the winter?

I wonder if adding a PV panel or two and electric hot water on demand system in series would do the trick? That way I'd still get the benefit of the preheated water, although how warm it would be in February I am not sure.

[phantom power]

10. I doubt you'll get it hot enough with straight solar. It would work in pre-heater mode.

[skids]

24. .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_thermal_collector#Comparisons_of_flat_plate_and_evacuated_tube_collectors

If used for potable purposes, to prevent bacterial infection tanks should be maintained at 60C and then downmixed to 49C to prevent scalding. Assuming a -10C outdoor temp to get 60C in Maine you are looking at evacuated tube panels unless you are just preheating or don't care about firing up a secondary heater for a few weeks in January -- and depending on your water usage you'll need a lot of panels to ride out the winter without a backup heat source.

However, for baseboard heating alone without potable use, you may not need to maintain 60C. You just need to figure out your energy budget.

[MineralMan]

13. I'm not sure. PV panels don't generally produce a lot of wattage,

and heating water takes a lot. Again, the cost would make the savings not cost-effective, I'm sure. Solar is marginal, anyhow, in terms of cost-effectiveness and payback time. In northern latitudes the low angle of the sun in the sky in the cold months further cuts down on efficiency for PV and thermal collectors.

A far better idea in the North is extreme insulation and elimination of as many heat losses as possible, which minimizes heating costs and the like, along with conversion to high-efficiency lighting, etc. It's possible to cut your energy bills dramatically with those measures, and they're completely passive, so they don't wear out with age. You'll get far more for your dollar with such techniques than with any sort of active solar system.

[GreenPartyVoter]

17. We're doing a modular so the insulation is out of my control. :^( These are the specs

INSULATION:
R-38 Cellulose Ceiling Insulation
R-38 Cellulose Ceiling Insulation to knee walls with R-30 between decking on Rafter Roofs
R-30 Insulation Between Kneewalls Standard on Maine Houses Only
R-19 Exterior Wall Insulation (Kraft Faced)
R-11 Basement Stair wall Insulation

If I had a zillion dollars I think I would do a SIP house instead, with all the green things I could possibly do to it. (Maybe in my next life! :D)

[jpak]

20. Hi MM - people have been doing this in Maine for a while

http://www.solarhouse.com/

http://www.mainesolar.com/

Since Democrats reestablished solar tax credits, I've seen dozens of new solar hot waters systems pop up in my neck of the woods.

:hi:

[Jackpine Radical]

5. Don't overlook geothermal.

A lot of people around here use it, although the initial installation is rather expensive. You use ground water to heat the place up to about 50 F in the winter & then use the same system to cool it in the summer. I imagine our winters are a little colder than yours, with no moderating sea currents.

[GreenPartyVoter]

9. My brother wanted it for his house but yeah it was pretty expensive.

[NickB79]

21. You might need some acreage to make geothermal work, though

Something that many city lots are severely lacking in.

[Warpy]

6. Hot water systems are actually ideal

An extra bennie is if the boiler also produces your hot water. Plumbing a solar hot water system into it to augment the boiler in winter will save on heating costs, but the real savings will occur in summer when it supplies nearly all the hot water you need, with the boiler only coming on early in the morning most days.

You'd have to get bids on the job and run the numbers to get your own payback period, but it can be done with a hot water system best of all.

[phantom power]

8. How much money you're willing to throw at it is an important parameter.

If you're willing to throw 10-20K, I think a geothermal heat pump system is your winning solution. Supplement it with a solar thermal pre-heater if you want.

[GreenPartyVoter]

11. Trouble is I can't do the geothermal because of costs. I was looking at solar because

I was hoping it was something that I could every few years when I could afford it add on another panel. (Assuming it can be done that way.)

[phantom power]

12. I think a solar thermal pre-heater is what you'll be able to do with your budget.

[GreenPartyVoter]

14. I've found someone in my area who does solar installationas and have sent him

an email. Hopefully he has a good solution like a pre-heater that will fit my budget. :)

[MineralMan]

15. I think that's your best bet. He'll know what is working and what

isn't in your specific area. Good luck with this!

[Lochloosa]

16. Maybe a Passive Water Heater?

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=&imgrefurl=http://www.solar-components.com/batchheat.htm&usg=__Q7KfGmD9Afrtg7T9Hao_NelN-HY=&h=465&w=667&sz=130&hl=en&start=4&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=MSbf8TBchLVbPM:&tbnh=96&tbnw=138&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpassive%2Bsolar%2Bwater%2Bheater%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1T4GGLR_enUS320US320%26tbs%3Disch:1

[jpak]

18. Talk to a certified solar contractor - evacuated tube solar hot water heaters work well in Maine

I know several folks that use them for heat in Maine - but you need a fairly larger array (probably ground-mounted) and storage tanks . My friends use radiant floor heating (and large insulated milk containers from a local dairy for storage) rather than standard baseboard, but there's no reason why you couldn't use basebord radiators.

The Maine Solar House has been using solar hot water panels for heat for many years.

Efficiency Maine has some good deals on solar financing too...

[GreenPartyVoter]

19. I'm waiting on a response from one now. I am pretty sure hubby said he did

up a friend's house with all solar heat. My main question is what is the cost?

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

22. Be sure to ask about leasing

Not sure if its available in ME, but the contractor should know. Here in CT you can lease a 6 kw system for $126 per month

http://www.ctsolarlease.com/info/payments.php

[GreenPartyVoter]

23. Wow. I hadn't thought of that.