Solar Collectors for Residential Homes
Residential homes can take advantage of solar heat energy that is captured in several different ways. A flat plate collector is an insulated, weatherproof box which contains an absorber plate underneath a glass or plastic cover. An integral collector storage system has one or more tanks or tubes which preheats water in an insulated box. The evacuated tube solar collector has parallel rows of transparent glass tubes. These are used more often in commercial solar applications than in residences. The collectors are a very serious part of capturing the sun’s rays for energy use. Selecting the right one will depend on the structure of the home.