How to Use Solar Panels for Heating Your Home

Using solar power to heat the air in your home will save on energy bills and reduce your environmental impact on the planet. Solar heating systems work by using panels of photovoltaic cells to collect direct sunlight and ultraviolet radiation, which are used to warm the air in the panels. Once the panels are warmer than the air in the house, the temperature control activates a circulation fan that blows cool air into the panel. The air is then heated and circulated through the space, while cool air takes its place.

Solar photovoltaic cells or panels
Mounting brackets
Circulation fan

Instructions

- 1
  Select a suitable system for your home based on your heating requirements. Consultation with a solar-energy professional will help you to determine how many panels you will need for heating the space. Identify the location for the panels and the number that can be accommodated.
- 2
  Buy or make the panels that you need. Solar cells can be purchased individually and mounted on a sheet of metal painted with radioactive black paint, or the complete panels can be purchased fully assembled.
- 3
  Install the panels in an unshaded area where they will get direct sunlight for at least five hours a day. They should be mounted on the rooftop facing south at an angle of between 15 and 40 degrees to capitalize on the available sunlight. Alternatively, they can be integrated into the wall of the house to heat a particular room.
- 4
  Connect the circulation fan according to the manufacturer's instructions for solar systems. The fan should blow the warm air from the collector panel into the house's furnace-ducting system so it can be circulated through the house. If your house does not have furnace ducting you may need to install it or use individual solar panels for each of the main rooms.

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