- Solar Water Heater is a device which is used to heat water using solar energy. This hot water can be used for bathing, washing and cleaning purposes.
- Solar heaters are used for domestic purposes , installed at the terrace of the house or where sunlight is available and heats water during day time.
- The water will be heated and stored in an insulated storage tank and can be used whenever required including mornings and nights.
Working of Solar Water Heater:
- A Solar Water Heater has a set of solar tube circuits and an insulated tank to store hot water.
- The solar grid tube circuit is connected with the Insulated water tank. During the day time, water in tubes gets heated
- This stored water will be pumped or flown automatically on thermosyphon principle to the storage tank.This stored hot water in the insulated tank will remain hot for several hours and can be used for domestic purposes like bathing, cleaning, washing clothes etc.
Types of Solar Heater:
- Flate Plate Collectors
- Evacuated tube collectors
Which is best ? FPC or ETC collectors
- Flat Plate Solar collectors have longer life since it is made of metallic type
- Evacauated tube collector system is made up of glass which has lesser life when compared to FPC.
- Both types of solar collectors work well in Tropic regions. But if you are in cold regions, you can go for ETC based system to avoid freezing problem.
- Thermosyphon solar collectors are inexpensive compared to forced pumping solar collectors. But if the water type is hard water with high salt content, then the efficiency of thermosyphon solar collectors will reduce gradually, as the salt content will deposit in the tube layers.
- To avoid salt deposition , the tubes can be cleaned in regular intervals like six months.
- For domestic purposes, thermosyphon solar collectors are preferred
- For industrial purposes, forced circulation systems are preferred.
The price of solar water heater varies based on the size and type of solar system installed.
100 Litre Per Day Solar Heater costs Rs 17,000 approximately
The cost does not increase in linear proportion if we increase the capacity. It will come down proportionately, when we increase the capacity
Subsidy provided by government for solar heaters:
- For General category states [domestic]: 30% subsidy of capital amount of solar heater
- For special category states [domestic]: 60% subsidy of capital amount of solar heater
- For special category states [commerical] :30% subsidy of capital amount
Method 1:
- Contact State Nodal Agency in your state through phone
- The representative will visit the site and give the cost, size and other details of the system
- Based on your decision, they will install the system through some manufactureres
- Contact any Government Approved manufacturer near you
- Directly get install the system and you need to pay money deducting the subsidy
How much money can I save ,if I use solar water Heater?
- Assuming that you pay 4 Rs per unit now, you can save Rs 6000 per year
- That means you can get your invested money in 2 years and beyond that, what you save is your profit.
- Since electricity prices are increasing rapidly due to demand, you can save large amount of your electricity bills if you invest just 10,000 in Solar Heater.
- On other hand, by using renewable solar heater, you are indirectly contributing in green energy by avoiding coal, diesel consumption for electricity production.
Will I get hot water in Rainy days?
- Even in Rainy days, due to diffused radiation in atmosphere you will get warm water through the day.
- Apart from that, the water heater will be connected to geyser that will be switched on if the water is not hot enough.
Maintenance cost for solar water heater:
Domestic solar heaters do not require much maintenance. If the water is hard, then once in a year it is good to perform de-scaling with acids which can be done by the suppliers itself .If outside surfaces are painted, then paint may have to be redone 3 years once to prevent corrosion of the surfaces. Painting can be done be owners itself or some local painters.
