The maximum day length during the Minneapolis and St. Paul summers is 15 hours, 37 minutes. That’s more than enough sunshine to make a solar installation a sensible way to generate some of your home’s energy. Summer is a good time of year to do the installation, since days are long and temperatures are moderate.
If your roof or yard is large enough, you can cut your heating bills dramatically by using the sun’s power to heat your home with solar using active solar heating. These systems use either liquid or air to transfer heat from solar panels into your h
ome. If you have a radiant heating system already, converting it to a solar heating system can save you money on fuel. During the winter, the liquid circulates inside pipes through solar panels, where it picks up considerable heat, taking the burden off your boiler, and lowering your utility bills. You can also adapt a forced-air furnace for solar heating with a liquid system.
The Department of Energy (DOE) recommends that you choose an air-heated solar installation if you need to heat a space not already connected to your traditional heating system. Solar air heating does not provide much thermal storage, unlike a liquid system or using passive solar heating, where heat from the sun is stored in floors, fibers or walls. The DOE also cautions that local zoning codes may require a standard furnace for heating when solar systems are inadequate.
Some federal tax credits are in force until 2016 for different types of solar installations, including solar water heaters and photovoltaic systems. If the type you choose is eligible, you can get a 30 percent tax credit on the system’s cost and installation, with no upper limit.
If you’d like to learn more about how you can use a solar installation in your Twin Cities’ home or office, contact the experts at Marsh Heating & Air Conditioning, serving the region since 1974.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about solar installation and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Marsh Heating and Air Conditioning services Minnesota’s Twin Cities. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!