Renewable Energy#5: Solar Central Heating+Pool Heating

Discuss environmental matters here, and compare notes on what renewable energy systems might be best for you.
Post Reply
User avatar
cyprusmax47
Chief Cat Spotter
Posts: 4968
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2016 10:10 am
Location: Paphos area since 1982

Renewable Energy#5: Solar Central Heating+Pool Heating

Post by cyprusmax47 »

If you have central heating installed in your house with a normal boiler heated up with Gas/Diesel you know it is not environment-friendly
and not cheap either but also in sunny Cyprus there are some Winter month not very pleasant to have no heating. There is an alternative
solution to it: Solar Thermal House + Pool Heating System including domestic hot water producing. But to install such a system it makes only
sense if the house is with good building insulation and a Pool cover to avoid energy losses at night. Not to forget good quality windows as most
of the heat disappears through glass and the gaps on sliding doors and windows. Also many ceilings consists only of plaster boards without any
insulation materials (glass wool etc)
These Solar central heating systems mainly produced in Austria or Germany have a very high efficiency. Their solar panels absorb 95% of the
Sun's energy and the losses are only 5%!! Cypriot produced cheap panels lose 50% of energy through the thin glass and the poor insulation of the
body. (German panel weighs 50 KG - Cypriot panel <20 KG).
In Winter the system is supporting your central heating with hot water in daytime in order to reduce fuel consumption. A 1000 L cylinder will
store excess energy and transfers it's heat in nighttime. Hot domestic water is produced as a priority in the same cylinder (split) After only
1 hour of sunshine there will be >200 L water with 60 C.
In Spring and Autumn the energy not needed for house heating will be automatically transferred to your Pool via heat exchanger which means
the time you can enjoy your Pool is 4 month longer.
The total efficiency is extremely high as the system can run all year long to produce energy, not only in winter. If you are away the house will
be well maintained, not cold and damp.
Summary: System includes: 6-8 panels, 1000 L cylinder, controller, heat-exchanger Pool.

Max
PolemIan
Posts: 962
Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2016 8:50 am
Location: Polemi

Re: Renewable Energy#5: Solar Central Heating+Pool Heating

Post by PolemIan »

Max,
Can you
please stop pressing the return
key?

Seriously, not fan of pool heating. Our solar pool cover does a great job, put it on last Tuesday at 14 degrees and it now hit 22 which is the point as which we normally start dipping our toes in the pool - or stop when its fallen to that point. Normally the swimming season for us is early April to early November. I have no great desire to swim in the pool when there's a cold wind blowing or it's chucking down - no matter how warm the pool may be!

Depending on the weather, the Tulip Festival may well be supported by the sound of the first tentative splash of the season. The field is only about 900m from us so the scream may well carry across the fields.....

Ian
User avatar
cyprusmax47
Chief Cat Spotter
Posts: 4968
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2016 10:10 am
Location: Paphos area since 1982

Re: Renewable Energy#5: Solar Central Heating+Pool Heating

Post by cyprusmax47 »

Ian

There is a problem which I cannot solve. When I go up to the end of the line then it forms another extra line. Was working OK before but since a couple of days.... not. Oh, now it is working correct, fingers crossed. Also when I am on PL I get sometimes virus detection notice..(today 4x).. will answer your post tomorrow as I am too tired at the mo. (hit Captain Morgan's)

Max
User avatar
cyprusmax47
Chief Cat Spotter
Posts: 4968
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2016 10:10 am
Location: Paphos area since 1982

Re: Renewable Energy#5: Solar Central Heating+Pool Heating

Post by cyprusmax47 »

Ian

It is nice to hear from you. So your pool cover does a good job which confirms that using Solar Technology in Cyprus with all the Sun we have is a great thing. I personally would not have any desire to jump in a pool with 22C - I need at least 26C to enjoy. You will recognize after a couple of cloudy days at Polemi that the temperature stays or is lower. To heat cold water up to 20C is relatively quick, but then it takes a lot of sun hours to reach higher temperatures like 26-28C which one can achieve from a Solar Central Heating System but not with the Sun in April/May. I think not many pool owners like that low temperatures in April/November like you do but everybody is different. I could imagine that it is very funny to jump with the whole family in the pool with water temperature of 27C while outdoors it is only 15C, windy and horrible and the water is steaming. When I lived in Italy I had a home sauna and was it nice to jump in the heated Pool while around was more than 30 cm of Snow. Neighbours were always jealously watching our skinny-dip.
User avatar
cyprusmax47
Chief Cat Spotter
Posts: 4968
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2016 10:10 am
Location: Paphos area since 1982

Re: Renewable Energy#5: Solar Central Heating+Pool Heating

Post by cyprusmax47 »

this post disappeared, but I found it on "your posts".
User avatar
Dominic
Site Admin
Posts: 14931
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2016 5:00 pm
Location: Polemi
Contact:

Re: Renewable Energy#5: Solar Central Heating+Pool Heating

Post by Dominic »

Ah, I put it in the blog section instead of the environment section. Oops. :oops:
Web Designer / Developer. Currently working on Paphos Life.
Living in Polemi, Cyprus with my wife and daughter.
jeba
Posts: 1495
Joined: Fri Jan 27, 2017 8:38 pm

Re: Renewable Energy#5: Solar Central Heating+Pool Heating

Post by jeba »

cyprusmax47 wrote: Thu Mar 30, 2017 8:58 am If you have central heating installed in your house with a normal boiler heated up with Gas/Diesel you know it is not environment-friendly
and not cheap either but also in sunny Cyprus there are some Winter month not very pleasant to have no heating. There is an alternative
solution to it: Solar Thermal House + Pool Heating System including domestic hot water producing. But to install such a system it makes only
sense if the house is with good building insulation and a Pool cover to avoid energy losses at night. Not to forget good quality windows as most
of the heat disappears through glass and the gaps on sliding doors and windows. Also many ceilings consists only of plaster boards without any
insulation materials (glass wool etc)
These Solar central heating systems mainly produced in Austria or Germany have a very high efficiency. Their solar panels absorb 95% of the
Sun's energy and the losses are only 5%!! Cypriot produced cheap panels lose 50% of energy through the thin glass and the poor insulation of the
body. (German panel weighs 50 KG - Cypriot panel <20 KG).
In Winter the system is supporting your central heating with hot water in daytime in order to reduce fuel consumption. A 1000 L cylinder will
store excess energy and transfers it's heat in nighttime. Hot domestic water is produced as a priority in the same cylinder (split) After only
1 hour of sunshine there will be >200 L water with 60 C.
In Spring and Autumn the energy not needed for house heating will be automatically transferred to your Pool via heat exchanger which means
the time you can enjoy your Pool is 4 month longer.
The total efficiency is extremely high as the system can run all year long to produce energy, not only in winter. If you are away the house will
be well maintained, not cold and damp.
Summary: System includes: 6-8 panels, 1000 L cylinder, controller, heat-exchanger Pool.

Max
The best way to use solar for central heating is to combine it with underfloor heating as that will require pretty low water temperature to be effecient (below 30 degrees) due to the big heated surface. Is that available in Cyprus?
User avatar
cyprusmax47
Chief Cat Spotter
Posts: 4968
Joined: Wed Dec 28, 2016 10:10 am
Location: Paphos area since 1982

Re: Renewable Energy#5: Solar Central Heating+Pool Heating

Post by cyprusmax47 »

jeba

Yes it is available in CY.(Paphos) You are right, underfloor heating is very suitable for solar, unfortunately not many Cypriots going for it due to bad experience with the underfloor piping job. Many of the dump problems here come from leaking pipes buried under the floor. If it is professionally done fine.....
I had underfloor installed and powered by > 20!! solar panels with great success back in 1985, but that was not in Cyprus...
Max
Post Reply