16 FEBRUARY 2021
Powering Your Off-grid Lifestyle: How Solar Compares to the CompetitionIf you're living or building off the grid then you no doubt know how difficult it can be to keep your building warm during the winter. From wood burning stoves to propane heaters to biomass boilers, there are a variety of ways you can heat your building, but one often overlooked method is solar heating. While using a PV system to generate electricity is a fairly common practice among those living off-grid, using the sun to heat your building is less common. However, if you're off-grid, a solar heater is often not only the greenest option, but the most economical as well.
SOLAR THERMAL COMPARED TO FUELSWhen comparing dollars and cents the upfront cost of installing a solar heater are usually higher than the cost of one of the fuel alternatives, though you'll find that some high efficiency burners cost more than a comparable solar heater. However, the running costs of a solar heater are nil, so if you're currently heating with a fuel source, or planning to do so, calculate how much you're spending on fuel. If you can reduce that cost by 90 %, how long would it take to cover the cost of a solar heater? You'll likely find that after a year or two your solar heater has paid for itself.
Another aspect to consider is the convenience factor of a solar heater. If you have to source and transport your fuel multiple times a year, that's time you could spend doing other things. Generally, a solar heater takes between one and seven days to install, depending on the difficulty of your install and your construction proficiency. Once installed, there's no upkeep or maintenance. WHAT ABOUT USING PV PANELS TO POWER AN ELECTRIC HEATER?If you've already got, or are planning to put, PV panels on your building you may be inclined to use the electricity they generate to power an electrical heater. Though not the worst option for heating, electric heating is much less efficient than solar thermal heating. Because the conversion rate from solar energy to heat energy is about 70 % whereas the conversion rate to electricity is only about 20 %, you need three times the space of a comparable thermal system to generate the same amount of heat.
WHY A FREEDOM WON SYSTEM IS BETTER THAN OTHER SOLAR THERMAL SYSTEMSThere are many sellers of solar thermal heaters, however our FREEDOM WON Solar Thermal Heaters are the best for off-grid applications. Most solar thermal heaters require an external power source to run the pump that circulates the heat transfer fluid from the collectors to the storage tank, however FREEDOM WON systems are self-powering, meaning they don't need to be connected to an electricity source. They also work autonomously, turning on when the sun shines and turning off when it doesn't without any input from you, meaning your property will stay warm even when you're away. The system also automatically gets rid of any excess heat, preventing vapor locks and stagnation, and meaning you can easily size your system to provide all the heat you need without concern for overheating in the summer. Finally, the system is virtually maintenance free. Once up and running all you'll need to do to keep it running for 25 plus years is to occasionally change the circulating glycol, generally less than once a decade. These features unique to FREEDOM WON systems make it ideal for off-grid applications. Our patented FREEDOM WON systems are only available from Simple Solar and our authorized distributors. |
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