Solar heat is a free and renewable energy source.
Solar heat is an energy source that can be harnessed in several simple ways to help heat your home, swimming pool, or other buildings. Solar rays are easily absorbed by certain materials, and harnessing this energy does not necessarily require a large investment of time and money. A few simple changes can give you more passive solar heat, and a more extensive system can help heat your entire home.
Instructions
Passive Solar Heat
1. Open the curtains or drapes of south-facing windows during the day, when the Sun is shining, to let the heat in. Place dark furniture in front of windows to absorb heat from this light and choose dark floor colorings to absorb more heat.
2. Cover exterior windows with translucent film that is a shade darker than clear to help the windows absorb more solar heat. Be sure your windows are well sealed to prevent leaks and drafts from reducing the benefits of the solar heat they are collecting.
3. Paint the exterior of your home a dark color to help absorb heat. Surfaces such as masonry block also absorb and hold heat. This type of passive heat is collected during the day, then as the interior of the home cools in the evening, the heat radiates inward from the heated walls to the cooler air inside the home. To harness more of this type of passive heat, some solar energy enthusiasts add what is called a Trombe wall, in which a clear glass or Plexiglas panel is added to the exterior wall, about an inch away from the exterior wall, allowing a space to collect and hold heated air, warming the house.
Windowsill Solar Heater
4. Create a frame using large sheets of insulating foam to channel solar heated air into your home. Build a wood box frame and attach a thick piece of insulated foam to the bottom as a back. Leave an air channel above it, then add a thin piece of insulated foam painted black as a center layer. For extra thermal collection cover the middle sheet of insulated foam with thin aluminum foil, then paint this surface black. Top the frame off with glass or Plexiglas.
5. Seal the frame's edges with silicone or waterproof bathroom caulk. Lean the frame at an angle against the house below the window. Secure it in place with wood stakes at the bottom.
6. Build a conducting channel at the top of the frame out of more insulating foam and duct tape, which lets the heated air from the box flow into the window. This can be constructed so the window is slighly open and rests on the frame of the solar collector. Seal all the edges to prevent leaks and drafts. The collector will have heated air that flows into the home when the air inside is cooler than the air in the collector. A diagram with detailed plans can be found at Thefarm.com (see References).
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