When Do You Need Residential Photovoltaic Solar Systems?

If you are someone that cares deeply about preventing further damage to be done to mother nature, then using residential photovoltaic solar systems will be perfect for you. Not only does solar energy not emit any greenhouse gases, but they also don’t make use of any fossil fuel like coal. 

Apart from environmental reasons, switching to solar energy can also help you to reduce your electrical bills. By switching to solar energy, you get to avoid the volatile electricity market where prices are always changing. Homes that have photovoltaic solar systems installed are also deemed to be more valuable and sell quicker than homes without.

What to consider before pool solar installation

When deciding whether to have a solar pool heater installed, it’s essential to examine a few factors to determine the system you need.:

  • How much sun do you get?
  • Solar heating systems rely on the sun; therefore, your pool site needs to have enough unshaded area on the roof and a southern, western, or eastern exposure to supply the necessary resources. Solar for pools uses direct sunlight and ambient air temperature to heat your pool.

  • What size system is right for you?
  • Solar collectors should take up a size equal to 100 percent of your pool’s surface area to acquire even heating. How much space you can devote to solar panels also depends on whether you want to use your pool year-round or just during a regular swimming season. Your contractor can advise you on the system size that best suits your needs.

  • How much money can a solar heater save?
  • Calculate how much it will cost to use solar heat with information about your collector’s BTU rating, how many panels or pipes you’ll use, and total installation costs. Remember that your installation costs will be offset more quickly with solar energy than with other sources.

  • What local laws or regulations affect solar installation?
  • our city, municipality, or building association may have specific codes or covenants regulating solar power installation, such as maximum roof loads, wiring regulations, equipment standards, zoning issues, or other requirements. Check with the appropriate authorities overseeing your area. Florida is a “right to the sun state,” so no HOA or anyone for that matter can deny you solar on your home.

  • How reliable is your solar energy installer?
  • The company that installs your pool’s solar heating setup should have a current and valid business license, an established track record of superior work, experience with multiple solar configurations, and a strong reputation in the community.

  • How extensive is your solar system’s warranty?
  • Your installer should have a solid warranty policy to back up your solar heating system’s performance, maintenance, and durability.

Solar Energy Solutions of America has extensive experience in providing solar solutions for Southwest Florida. Our 12-year pool solar warranty, veteran ownership, and track record of success are reasons why customers depend on us to bring the clean power of solar energy to their swimming pool heaters. Contact us for a free estimate and to find out more.

Using a Solar Pool Cover to Maximize Energy Savings

When it comes to successfully heating your pool with solar energy, using a solar pool cover is a small step that makes a huge difference. A solar pool cover can efficiently help retain heat, which reduces energy costs overall.

These innovative solar features are designed to absorb thermal energy from the sun and directly transfer that heat to the pool’s surface. The surface is where the most heat is generally lost through the evaporation process. Reducing evaporation through this solar heat transfer lengthens the swimming season and helps save on costs associated with energy bills, chemicals, and filter maintenance.

In most cases, the use of a solar cover can increase the temperature of the water by 15 degrees without needing to utilize gas or propane. Many people using solar covers for their pools cut their heating costs down anywhere from 50% to 70%. You can experience these results whether you use the covers on an above-ground or an in-ground pool.

The Logistics of Mounting Pool Solar Panels

Deciding to incorporate a solar pool heater, panels, or other sustainable energy solutions into your outdoor recreation area is a great choice. Knowing where and how to mount solar panels for maximum energy generation is the next step in the process.                              

Customers we work with are often thrilled to find that they have many options when it comes to solar panel placement for a pool. Any position on a roof with sufficient sun exposure and adequate surface area to support the panel works for the mounting of the equipment.                               

Space near a pool pump that receives sufficient sunlight is also prime for the mounting of a solar panel. While solar collectors should ideally be southern-facing, positioning a panel 45 degrees east or west of this optimum placement won’t significantly hinder energy generation.                               

Those aiming to heat their pool in the winter will need solar panels tilted at a specific latitude or angle, with an additional 15 degrees factored in. Our customers in Florida will often find that mounting solar panels directly to a sloping roof provides the most satisfying results.

Pairing the Right Pool Size to Solar Installation Standards

The popularity of pool solar solutions is on the rise, and for a good reason. Solar Pool Heating for pools is great for the environment, and it’s also a customized strategy for those who always want to have sustainable control over water temperature.

Ultimately, a Solar Pool Heater can be fitted to a pool of any size. The general rule of thumb is that the square footage of the installed solar panel collector should be as close as possible to the total square footage of the pool.

That said, solar for pools is very dependent on the average climate and the desired heat levels to be maintained. Pools with larger dimensions will inevitably require more and likely larger solar panels than those needed for a smaller pool.

If you’re interested in pool solar options, it’s essential to consider how many months out of the year that you use your pool. Pools that remain open for the entire year will require larger solar collectors. If your pools open seasonally, you can likely outfit it with smaller panels.

The general recommendation by the Department of Energy is that the solar collector is between 50% and 100% of the pool’s total surface square footage. That means if a pool has dimensions of 15 feet x 20 feet, the solar collector used to generate energy needs to be between 150 and 300 square feet in size.

How does a solar pool heater work?

Solar Pool Heating is a very straightforward process. Your pool water is pumped through a filter and delivered to the solar thermal collectors (the panels). The Pool Solar Panels collect the sun’s rays to heat the water and then return the water back to the pool.

There are checkpoints along this pathway. A check valve prevents pool water from flowing backward in the route, a three-way valve diverts the water either to the panels on the roof for heat or back to the pool if the goal temperature has been reached, and a sensor monitors the water’s heat to ensure it is returned to the pool at the right temperature.

Pool solar installation works as a single, complete unit and can also be used in combination with additional gas or electric heating sources.