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The first step is to estimate daily hot water needs in gallons (Gallons)
and a nominal tank size (Tank Size). For two people, the average
needs are 40 to 50 gallons per day. Add 15 to 20 gallons for each
additional person or additional bedroom in the home to allow for family
expansion. Tank size should be large enough to hold slightly more than
the needs for one day. If you determine that 70 gallons per day should
provide for your need, select a 75 gallon tank.
GALLONS _________________
Next, determine the temperature of the cold water that will supply
your solar water heating collector panel (ColdTemp). To do this, collect
water and use a thermometer to find the temperature on several
different occasions. Average the figures to create ColdTemp data.
ColdTemp _______________
If you do not use 122 for your desired water temperature, change the
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122 in the formula above to your own desired hot water temperature.
To add the standby loss factor, determine the insulation on the storage
tank you will use. If you have 1 inch foam or 2.5 inch fiberglass
insulation, use 1.20 for the standby loss factor. If you have 2 inch
foam insulation, use a factor of 1.12.
Next, you will need to determine the size of solar collector panel you
wish to build or purchase. First, determine the penalty factors that will
impact sizing. From the chart below, list your system factor.
To determine tilt factor, you'll need to determine the pitch of your roof.
Most common are 20 to 30 degree pitch which has a tilt factor or 1.0.
A flat roof carries a tilt factor of 1.25, a 3 to 7 degree pitch carries a
factor of 1.15 while 7 to 12 degrees of pitch carries a factor of 1.09,
12 to 16 degrees carries a factor of 1.5. A roof pitch of 30 to 37
degrees carries a factor of 1.01, 37 to 43 degrees has a factor of 1.04.
A 43 to 50 degree roof pitch carries a factor of 1.12.
Calculate your penalty factory using this data and the formula:
Next think about how much of your hot water needs you wish to have
met by your solar hot water system. This will be the RateRequired. The
national average is 70%, but you can use a higher or lower number if
you choose.
The RateRequired figure will equal the BTU/day you will need.
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Next you need to determine what the efficiently of the solar collector
you wish to use will provide. This is very easy for a purchased solar
collector because there will be an FSEC label stating the BTU Rating
which is the BTU per day the collector is capable of delivering. If you
plan to build your own collector, locate similar collectors and use the
ratings from that panel.
SolarFraction = _______________
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