Solar space heating unit
A solar space heater supplements the heat
from your furnace during the day. In Vancouver solar conditions,
it is estimated to produce over 5.7 Million BTU during a heating
season. It mounts on the south outside wall of your home and
colder air from your home is forced through the panel to heat it
whenever there is heat available and needed.
How do I get started? Call
VREC at 778-869-8333 to book
your assessment,
a consulting service that will give you all the details,
specific to your site and needs.
Cost of the assessment is deducted from the price of a system
purchased from and installed by VREC.
Description | Features |
Approvals and Purchase Information |
Grants and Financing | Financial Payback |
What if I want to heat my whole house? |
SolarSheat Installation Details
The SolarSheat 1500G Solar Air
Collector is an affordable, self-contained, self-powered unit that provides
air heating for your home, cottage or business. Preheated air is heated through
a collector and then drawn by a fan into your home or building. This solar space
heater can be mounted on a south facing east, west wall or roof. It is a great way
to supplement your heating and reduce your current energy bill. Multiple panels
can be added at any time to further reduce your heating costs.
The solar space heater is a supplemental heating
system. It is not designed to replace your traditional furnace or primary
heating system. However, it can help reduce your heating bill and improve air
quality.
How it works? - The SolarSheat 1500G is a
glazed recirculation solar air collector designed for space heating
applications. Air is drawn from inside the room through the bottom of the
collector and blown out through a duct in the top. The SolarSheat 1500G can heat
an area of the home or room up to 1 000 ft2 or 93 m2 when the sun is shining.
Multiple collectors can be connected together can heat larger areas or rooms. An
external digital control let’s you preset the temperature for the collector to
start heating.
(click on picture at right for more details for a wall or roof mounted system)
External Control - The SolarSheat 1500G
includes an external digital control that allow you to preset your room
temperature. The unit can deliver up to 120ºF or 49ºC (estimated) for room
heating.
Installation - Instructions are provided
for self-install or VREC staff can install it for you for an additional charge.
Heat can go into the adjacent room or be ducted into other parts of your home.
An excellent system to install when re-siding (or re-roofing) your home, but
easy to install at other times as well.
Fan - The fan allows a proper flow of air
up to 150 CFM for adequate room heating.
- Helps reduce your current energy bill
- Continuously heats a cold ‘space’ or room when
the sun is shining
- Destratification
of air mass in home providing greater consistent room temperature
- Panel provides 70% plus efficiency—allows for
maximum investment value
- Less dependence on fossil fuels
- For cabin-owners: Provides additional, fuel and
electricity free heat to your cabin when you're not there, to help prevent
mustiness.
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PRICE
(CAD): in the neighbourhood of $2000, enquire for updated price and shipping
costs at time of assessment.
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ENERGY RATING-
1.5 kWh BTU 5118
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DIMENSIONS 87”X
43.15” X 3.8” 221cm x 109.6cm x 9.7cm
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GROSS AREA 26
ft2 or 2.4 m2
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WEIGHT 30 lbs /
13.61 kg
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COLOUR Black or
grey
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TYPE Modular
solar air collector
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MATERIAL
Aluminum extrusion
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THERMAL INSULATION
Ceramic bead, equivalent up to R20 rating
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FLOW RATE 150
CFM C02
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REDUCTION
0.35 tonne per year
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TEMP 30ºC @ 0ºC
ambient rating
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MOUNTING Wall
or roof
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MANUFACTURED IN
Canada
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Returns Available/Warranty - Return for
repair/replacement: 1 Year(s)
Call 778-869-8333 for site assessment and purchase
information
- Eligible for 3 points through the
EnerGuide Rebate
Program - may qualify you for grants.
- Eligible for prime plus one financing on purchases up to $10,000 when
purchased from VREC - contact VREC for more details,
subject to financing approval.
Solar Investment Payback
The graph below compares investing in solar supplemental heat versus
investing in a conventional furnace. The calculations below are provided by the
manufacturer, and reflect payback period for a system in a colder climate than
Vancouver. In Vancouver, our heating season and needs are less so the payback is
longer. However, significant benefits apply in the form of greenhouse gas
prevention, off-grid backup heat for outages, and increased savings as fossil
fuel prices increase. This type of solar space heating is best used as
supplemental heating for a colder room in your house, or to warm a small
building such as a cabin or garage.
For Vancouver solar conditions, the system produces 5.7 million BTU per our
shorter heating season. When calculating comparison with your own current
heating system, you will want to take into account the rising cost of fuel and
the efficiency of your furnace. For example, with a 85% efficient furnace, 1 BTU
of natural gas fuel will result in 0.85 BTU of heat. The cost of solar heat will
stay constant over the years, while the price of fuel will increase as supply
runs out.
What if I want to heat my whole house with solar?
For a whole house system, a solar or geothermal warm water in-floor radiant
heating system or building-integrated larger solar air system combined with good
passive solar design would be a desirable renewable energy system for new
construction. For retrofits, a air source heat pump concentrates and collects
solar heat from the air and moves it into your home. Heat pumps can provide most
of the heat needed for a home, and are normally twinned with either a radiant
floor heating or forced air heating system.
Commercial suppliers are available locally for both heat pumps and in-floor
radiant heating systems. For information on twinning radiant heating with solar,
Taylor Munro Energy Systems (not connected with VREC) has experience in this
area.
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