Why Solar Water Heating?

• Why a solar thermal system?
• Why from Regulus?
• What types of solar collectors exist and what are they good for?
• How much would solar water heating cost?

During sunny days from spring to autumn, a properly designed solar thermal system will cover the entire hot water consumption. For support or complete hot water heating during the remaining days, a backup source switches on (an electric heating element, gas boiler etc.). Solar thermal systems can be also designed for heating support and seasonal pool heating.

Due to their similar appearance, solar thermal systems are often mistaken for PV (photovoltaic) systems.

Why a solar thermal system?

The main reason why households and companies buy solar thermal systems lies in considerable energy savings, i.e.

50 - 65 % annual costs can be saved for hot water heating.

Traditional water heating methods (electric water heater or other sources within the frame of space heating) are energy-demanding. Namely the electricity price is high and keeps rising from the long-term point of view. On the contrary, solar thermal systems utilize solar heat “for free”. Solar thermal systems cannot substitute energy consumption completely because the Sun is not available permanently, however, in the end they can save up to 65% of the total annual energy for hot water heating.

Solar thermal systems are popular for use in several ways:

• Domestic hot water heating - primary use
• Heating support for low-temperature systems (mostly spring and autumn)
• Swimming pool heating

Environmentally friendly

By using solar energy, solar thermal systems contribute to limiting greenhouse gas emissions and raw material consumption. Unlike with PV panels, disposal of solar thermal collectors is much easier, less financially demanding and more eco-friendly. The main materials used for solar thermal systems are copper, aluminium and stainless steel. This guarantees a long service life and an easy disposal at the end.

Why a solar thermal system from Regulus?

We are a long-term number one on the Czech market in solar thermal systems, as well as an important supplier on other markets in Europe and the Mediterranean. References on both small and large projects can be found here.

What our customers appreciate on our solar thermal systems and the supply:

• High energy savings
• Extremely long service life
• Favourable price conditions
• Solar thermal system fully integrated into a heating system
• High-quality technical support

High energy savings

Solar thermal systems supplied by Regulus bring up to 65 % savings in annual energy costs of hot water heating. The savings can be further increased by integrating other heating system components with joint thermal storage and control.

Extremely long service life

Since Regulus solar thermal systems are made of high-quality materials and components, they excel at extremely long service life exceeding 25 years. The service life of these systems is several times longer than their payback period.

Favourable price conditions

We keep developing hot water or space heating systems and their components in order to keep favourable price conditions while meeting high requirements for quality and efficiency. A catalogue of solar thermal systems and components incl. prices can be found here.

Solar thermal system fully integrated into a heating system

A solar thermal system is often combined with a heat pump or a hydronic fireplace insert into one complex, which is a highly efficient solution that cannot be reached by two separate systems, one for space heating and one for DHW heating.

High-quality technical support

Many suppliers are able to supply solar thermal systems. However, much less of them can design a suitable type of a solar thermal system and related heating system components for a specific customer situation, especially when this concerns connecting a solar thermal system to existing or newly built heat sources (like e.g. heat pumps, hydronic fireplace inserts etc.), thermal storage and controller. A design of an efficient and cost-effective solution for space and DHW heating, incl. support in obtaining subsidies, represent an important part of the care we offer.

We are available also after supplying a solar thermal system to perform a warranty and off-warranty service and further to extend and optimize the overall solution of space and DHW heating. Our commercial and technical representatives are available to help you anytime you need them.

Types of solar thermal systems

A solar thermal system contains several basic components: solar collectors (placed on a roof, on a wall or ground mounted), piping with heat carrier, circulation pump and a hot water storage tank (or thermal store).

Solar collectors are manufactured in two designs:

1. Flat plate solar collectors (vertical or horizontal)

are the most popular collectors with an excellent value for money ratio.

2. Evacuated tube collectors

are characterized by their high efficiency under extreme conditions, namely when heating to a high temperature, under low outdoor temperatures, under weak sunshine and they also reach high efficiency under a low angle of incidence of solar rays.

PV (photovoltaic) systems

PV systems are often mistaken for solar thermal systems. In solar thermal systems the energy gained from the Sun is changed to heat directly.

PV systems transform energy gained from the Sun to electric energy. They are usually used to supply electricity for the house itself or to the grid. Electricity surplus is also used to heat water in a storage water heater. There are also specialized PV systems on our market that are designed to heat water directly in a hot water storage tank. When selecting a system, you should always compare systems of the same output. Besides the price and service life of individual systems, also the roof surface area needed for installation may be important for a decision. A PV system of the same output will occupy several times bigger area on a roof than a solar thermal system since the efficiency of PV panels is several times lower than the efficiency of solar thermal collectors.

How much would a solar thermal system cost, what shall be reckoned with?

It always depends on a specific situation. Of course, it is possible to install a separate solar thermal system and calculate exactly the initial costs. However, more and more frequently a solar thermal system is a component in a complex heating system based on a combination thermal store for both space and DHW heating. This thermal store is then heated together by a heat pump, a hydronic fireplace insert and a solar thermal system. Of course, this brings the advantage of utilizing heat from multiple sources. The investment into a solar thermal system is then understandably much lower because a solar thermal system heats water in a thermal store that is installed together to utilize heat from a hydronic fireplace or a heat pump. Moreover, a control system for these sources usually involves the function of solar thermal system control, so there is no need to buy a separate solar control unit, and the entire system with joint control shows higher overall efficiency. A solar thermal system, besides heating water for free, extends the service life of your heat pump in the summer enabling it to switch on less frequently to heat DHW.