Solar Energy Systems For Your Massachusetts Home
With the cost traditional energy escalating, renewable energy is again a popular subject. Many of us remember the solar boom of the late 70s and early 80s. The era didn’t have a story book ending; when the tax credits ended many solar contractors cut back on their qualified technicians, or worse went out of business. This left thousands of solar systems left without proper maintenance. The anti-freeze solution became acidic and the panels experienced “stagnation”, which is when the panels would collect too much heat and damage the panels.
Today things are different. Wilson Services has enjoyed a long and successful relationship with Viessmann, the world’s largest privately held boiler manufacturer. Viessmann, although mostly known for their world renowned heating boilers, has been involved in the solar heating business since the 1970s. It’s the only solar system available that offers so many functions in one “system”. It’s made to easily handle domestic hot water needs, space heating needs during the shoulder seasons (fall and spring), and seamless communication to Viessmann’s heating boilers. Unlike many traditional solar systems that rely on electricity when the sun’s heat isn’t enough for 100% solar production, Viessmann relies on a fueled back up source. There are two basic holding tanks to choose from. One option has the traditional single heat exchanger coil which makes this tank a “pre-heater”, which simply means the solar-heated water will then get piped to a traditional water heater. The other option requires a heating boiler because there are two heat exchanger coils instead of one. This option is better, especially for us in New England, because the tank becomes the primary source for all the household’s hot water needs, and in our climate we obviously need energy requirements beyond the sun in the non-summer months. So, with the dual-coil tank a hot water boiler would heat the water to the desired temperature when the sun isn’t able to produce 100% production.
Viessmann Solar
Viessmann, although mostly known for their world renowned heating boilers, has been involved in the solar heating business since the 1970s. It’s the only solar system available that offers so many functions in one “system”. It’s made to easily handle domestic hot water needs, space heating needs during the shoulder seasons (fall and spring), and seamless communication to Viessmann’s heating boilers. Unlike many traditional solar systems that rely on electricity when the sun’s heat isn’t enough for 100% solar production, Viessmann relies on a fueled back up source. There are two basic holding tanks to choose from. One option has the traditional single heat exchanger coil which makes this tank a “pre-heater”, which simply means the solar-heated water will then get piped to a traditional water heater. The other option requires a heating boiler because there are two heat exchanger coils instead of one. This option is better, especially for us in New England, because the tank becomes the primary source for all the household’s hot water needs, and in our climate we obviously need energy requirements beyond the sun in the non-summer months. So, with the dual-coil tank a hot water boiler would heat the water to the desired temperature when the sun isn’t able to produce 100% production
Recent Articles
- Defining Blower Door and Infiltration Testing
This is our favorite topic at Wilson Services, Inc. Why? Because infiltration is so incredibly misunderstood. When we say misunderstood, please don’t misunderstand; we acknowledge that the term blower door is not a main stream word for the average home owner. What’s so amazingly misunderstood is that there are many heating experts, news paper column...
Read More
- Heaters - We All Took Them For Granted
Wherever you live, chances are high that you will need a heater of some sort in your life. Since early mankind discovered fire, heaters have been used for warmth, cooking, and protection from potential enemies. The Encarta dictionary defines a heater as “a device that uses some kind of fuel to produce heat in order...
Read More
