WATER HEATER: Velux delivers new solar water heater

Add Velux (the skylight company you find at The Home Depot) to the list of companies now offering Solar Water Heaters.  This week the company announced their plans to start offering the products that have been proven in Europe.

The company worked hard to ensure that the roof collectors aesthetically pleasing and to integrate well with rooflines while delivering exceptional energy collection capabilities. The units also integrate with VELUX roof windows. The collectors are certified by independent testing agencies in Europe (Solar Keymark) and in the United States (SRCC) and installers must have completed advanced training to assure reliable installations.

The cost of installed systems will vary depending upon the volume of heated water required in a home. Two to three rooftop solar collector panels will usually be installed and solar hot water holding tanks are available in 80- and 120-gallon sizes.

Tim Miller, President of VELUX America, says that federal tax credits can help pay 30 percent up to $2,000 for a system and that some states and utilities offer additional support resulting in credits that could offset up to half of the cost. This, combined with savings on home energy bills, he says, should result in an anticipated payback period of 3-7 years in most areas depending on geographic location, utility rates and other factors.
Jim Cika, manager, solar products for VELUX, says that the systems can provide up to 100 percent of the demand for heating hot water in a home, with typically up to 80 percent of hot water needs coming, ?free from the sun,? while replacing or adding on to an existing water heating system.

The U.S. Department of Energy, in it?s EERE Consumer?s Guide, says that, ?On average, if you install a solar water heater, your water heating bills should drop 50%-80%. Also, because the sun if free, you?re protected from future fuel shortages and price hikes.?

Solar energy systems can take advantage of this free energy source throughout the year as solar energy can be produced even at low temperatures. According to Cika, the capacity for widespread use is a particularly attractive feature of the VELUX system. ?We us a glycol, or antifreeze solution in our system,? Cika says, ?so it?s suitable for use anywhere in the United States, with the exception of some parts of Alaska, which is not the case with all solar water heating systems.?

Cika says that the VELUX system has a much lower system and installation cost than solar photovoltaic (PV) technology. ?Basically, our system utilizes low-profile roof-top solar energy collectors to gather heat. An electronic controller activates a pump to feed the heated solution through insulated tubing to a solar hot water tank. The heat is transferred from the solution, through a heat exchanger, to the water in the insulated tank, where it is held until needed, and the glycol solution, which never enters the water supply, is returned to the collectors to be reused,? Cika says. He also points out that the solar collectors utilize the same proven flashing materials and techniques employed to install VELUX roof windows.

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