Beckett SolarHot - Manual (Page 8)

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© SOLARHOT 2006-2009
Sizing the collector area: The maximum energy you can get out of your system is controlled by a
few thngs, ncludng the square footage of collectors on your roof (or n your yard). The more square
footage of collectors you have, the more potental you have for collectng solar energy. The rule of
thumb says that if you live in the South, you should have 20 sq. ft. of collector area for the first two
people in the household and 8 sq. ft. of collector area for each person after the first two. The truth is that
the farther north you are, the less sunlght you receve and the colder your groundwater s (therefore
requrng more heat to get t to 120
0 F). If you lve farther north than Vrgna, you would want to nstall 20
sq. ft. of collector area for the first two people and 14 sq. ft. per person for any additional people.
For example, a typical family would need:
Northern clmate:
Occupants Ft.² per person Total Ft.²
1 20 ft.² 20 ft.²
2 20 ft.² 40 ft.²
3 14 ft.² 54 ft.²
4 14 ft.² 68 ft.²
5 14 ft.² 82 ft.²
6 14 ft.² 96 ft.²
Southern clmate:
Occupants Ft.² per person Total Ft.²
1 20 ft.² 20 ft.²
2 20 ft.² 40 ft.²
3 8 ft.² 48 ft.²
4 8 ft.² 56 ft.²
5 8 ft.² 64 ft.²
6 8 ft.² 72 ft.²
Ths rule of thumb doesn’t take nto consderaton the qualty of the solar collector that you use. It s
possble to have a solar collector that only produces 2/3
rd of the potental energy because the absorber
s panted black vs. usng a selectve coatng, or because t uses lower qualty glass that doesn’t allow
as much lght to pass through. Ths rule of thumb s approprate for hgh qualty solar collectors, such as
the Beckett SolarHot’s Platinum collector series. I am defining a high quality solar collector as having
ether black chrome plated absorber or havng some form of selectve surface. The glazng (glass) on
the collector needs to be hgh-transmsson tempered glass. Avod plastc glazed collectors snce the
clarty of the plastc wll degrade quckly over tme and run the value of your nvestment.
The Beckett SolarHot Advantage: Our platnum seres collectors use selectvely
coated all-copper absorbers wth hgh transmsson solar glass. Flat-plate collectors
will perform well while laying flat on most rooftops and are considered by many to be
far more aesthetcally attractve than evacuated tube collectors.
System performance s based on three factors:
• Frst, the amount of energy absorbed by the collectors, whch s controlled by the collector area
as well as their efficiency at absorbing the solar energy.