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Solar
Thermal Water Heating Collectors on a Home at
Bishop
Lake, Marietta, Georgia
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Solar thermal collectors heating water for the bathhouse
at Len Foote Hike Inn, Dawsonville, Georgia |
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Solar
Thermal Water Heating Systems
Solar Thermal is a technology used for harnessing the Sun’s
energy for water heating. And water heating is the second
highest energy cost in a typical household.
The two major parts of a Solar Thermal system are solar
collectors and a storage tank. A glycol fluid circulates
through the solar collectors, usually on the roof, to capture
the Sun’s heat. Then the glycol circulates through
a heat exchanger to heat water in a storage tank. The storage
tank then supplies pre-heated water to a conventional gas
or electric water heater, instead the water heater pulling
in cold tap water as make-up water. Most of the time the
pre-heated water is hot enough to satisfy the water heater
setting, and its heating element does not even turn on.
A Solar Thermal system will reduce the cost of conventional
water heating by 75-80 per cent, and it lets you be a part
of decreasing energy consumption, pollution and climate
change.
Georgia is considered a good area for Solar Thermal installations.
In fact we are on par with much of Florida in yearly average
solar radiation. The most important requirement for choosing
a site for Solar Thermal is to have un-shaded, due-south
exposure to the Sun.
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Soenso Energy works with architects, contractors,
developers, engineers, LEED APs, property managers and other professionals
to assist them with incorporating sustainable building practices
such as Solar Thermal systems. Under LEED NC, points can be earned
by providing a Solar Thermal system that meets LEED-established percentages
of buildings energy requirements.
“
At Len Foote Hike Inn, we have very unusual requirements and a difficult
installation environment. Soenso worked hard to understand our needs,
recommend the equipment which fit us best, and install a system which
looks and works great. We recommend Soenso to anyone who wants to
lower their carbon footprint and save money doing it.”
Steve Skinner,
Board Member of not-for-profit Appalachian Education
and Recreation Services,
operators of Len Foote Hike Inn, Dawsonville,
Georgia
Flat Plate Solar Thermal
Soenso Energy is an authorized dealer and professional installer
of Schüco Solar of Germany. These Schüco Flat Plate Solar
Thermal systems are SRCC
OG-300 Certified as specified
under the Georgia Clean Energy Tax Incentive of 2008. With modern
European design, German engineering, and outstanding performance,
Schüco Solar Thermal systems are the perfect match for quality-conscious
Georgia consumers.
Residential Solar Thermal systems are sized according to the number
of occupants in the home. On average twenty gallons of hot water
are used per person per day. We design the system to store one day’s
supply of hot water. For example a family of four would have two
solar collectors with an eighty gallon hot water storage tank. A
family of six would have three solar collectors and a one hundred
twenty gallon hot water storage tank. Commercial Solar Thermal systems
can be custom-sized according to the application with multiple solar
collectors and hot water storage tanks.
Rough estimates of pricing for flat plate Solar Thermal range
from about $8,000 installed cost for a system with two solar collectors
and an eighty-gallon storage tank to about $10,000 installed cost
for a system with three solar collectors and a one hundred twenty
gallon storage tank. This includes all material, shipping, installation
and commissioning. Sales tax is not included. These estimates are
not price quotes and are subject to change. We can size and quote
larger systems for commercial applications.
Solar Thermal
Federal and Georgia Income Tax Incentives
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 established
a 30% federal income tax credit with no cap for the installed
cost of a residential Solar Thermal system and a 30% federal income
tax credit with no cap for the installed cost of a commercial Solar
Thermal system.
The Georgia Clean Energy Tax Incentive of 2008 established
a 35% state income tax credit with a $2,500 cap for the installed
cost of a residential Solar Thermal system and a 35% state income
tax credit with a $100,000 cap for the installed cost of a commercial
Solar Thermal system.
Check with your professional tax preparer about how to apply and
qualify for income tax credits. Summaries of federal and state renewable
energy incentives are available at Database of State Incentives
for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE) www.dsireusa.org. More on Georgia
Clean Energy Incentives is at Georgia Environmental Facilities
Authority (GEFA) www.gefa.org/Index.aspx?page=423.
Contact Soenso Energy at info@soenso.com for more information or
price quotes.
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