Low-Tech Solar Wall to lower heating costs
About an year ago there was an informative article about a Solar Heater priced at a mere $350, for its price and its ability to completely run off solar energy and being highly effectiveness the Solar heater gathered a lot of interest from interest groups as well as builders.. after all collecting heat into an exposed wall on the southern end and then using the same for warming the air is not just a simple process but it is also quite inexpensive to install and highly economical in the longer run.
As explained by BuildItSolar.com the principle behind the solar heater project is the same as is in the Solar Wall.
Using a perforated steel wall cladding over the existing wall, air is drawn in through small openings across the surface and as the wall itself is heated by the sun. In addition, the system helps recapture some of the heat being lost through the outside wall of the building and helps to further warm the incoming air as well. The warmed air is driven by a fan into the building where it can be directly distributed or brought into the building’s heating and ventilation system as pre-conditioned air. Since it has been warmed already, the fresh intake air does not need to be heated as much, if at all. With an economizer cycle in the ventilation system, this can result in significant energy savings.
The use of this solar wall is not just limited to the winters, the solar wall can also be used in the winters. The system draws up the air but instead of bringing it in, it is drawn up and vented outwards, thereby keeping the sun from the wall directly and movement of air around the wall resulting into lower cooling costs.
