`

Fact is that almost 50% of your home’s total energy consumption ends up in cooling and heating.

The following list outlines 5 easy steps you can take to conserve energy in your home.

Reduce hot water temperatures

Whether it is bathing, washing clothes or any other household activity, hot water should always have a temperature of less than 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 °C). If the temperature of the water is any higher than this, not only could your plumbing system be adversely affected, but you also run the risk of scalding yourself. On days when it’s too cloudy to generate enough heated water from solar energy, a solar water heating system backup heater will kick in and generate hot water for your home with gas or electricity. Backup heaters may account for roughly 20 percent of your hot water use throughout the year. Keep an eye on the temperature of your system, it if inches upwards, reduce the temperatures of the hot water backup to 120F or below solar water heating systems can exceed these temperatures but include mixing vales for anti-scalding measures and temperature control

Use a Smart Monitoring Solution

Installing a “smart” monitoring/control solution for your solar water heating system, and utilizing operational and optimization modes, and temperature setting adjustments allows for the synchronization of personal lifestyle and SWH system performance.

Monitoring the thermal system is imperative to ensuring operational performance. SunEarth offers several monitoring solutions to round out your thermal system and truly make it the complete package designed for your specific needs.


Alter Usage Patterns

With time of use electricity rates gaining popularity in many large municipality districts, rates vary across the nation and are dependent upon additional several factors including, utility, usage profile and total quantity consumed. A simple tactic to conserve energy is shifting energy dependent activities to early and late evening hours. Evening time is the best time for utilization of hot water stored by your SWH system, a properly sized system would have ample solar heated water stored within its tank to run the dishwasher, clothes washer as well as bathing necessities. Utilizing the energy in the evening optimizes system performance as water heating storage naturally tanks lose thermal energy overnight.


Insulation is Key

A well-insulated home and water heater are the easiest ways to extend the length of time in which thermal energy is retained for comfort and efficiency. All SWH systems should be properly insulated at install, but the elements and time can wear down insulation. A qualified technician should be scheduled for periodic maintenance inspections. Not sure who to call, contact SunEarth and we can get you in touch with a qualified installer in your area.


Trees Please

Trees and shrubs planted near a home can significantly reduce the energy required for space conditioning. Planting deciduous trees on the east, west, and/or south side of your home keeps the hot sun out during the summer months and lets the light and the warmth in during the winter months by creating pockets of dead air spaces that shield against the warm and cold temperatures.

Just remember to keep the shade off your solar thermal collector, as shading will decrease system performance.

Send Us A Message