SOLAR HOT WATER pre-heat systems fall into two basic categories active and passive types with numerous subcategories. A passive solar DHW pre-heater is also known as a breadbox heater or batch heater.

Dear Jim: We have a large family and use much hot water. I cannot afford to have a solar water heating system installed, but I would like to make some type of solar water heater myself. What do you ...

Solar water heaters work by absorbing sunlight in solar collectors and saving the heated water in a storage tank. Both active and passive solar water heaters are available. Active systems are ...

Q. We have a large family and use much hot water. I cannot afford to have a solar water heating system installed, but I would like to make some type of solar water heater myself. What do you suggest?

Dear Jim: We have a large family and use much hot water. I cannot afford to have a solar water heating system installed, but I would like to make some type of solar water heater myself. What do you ...

Q: I’ve been hearing a lot about solar water heating lately. Is it something worth pursuing for my home? A: To get some answers, we talked to Amy Leedom, the director of marketing for Dwell ...

Q: We have two teenage daughters who take long showers. Our water heating costs are probably very high. We are on a tight budget, but I want to use some solar water heating. Is there a system I can ...

IN LAST MONTH'S column ("Active and passive solar pre-heat systems," pg. 36), the final system we addressed was the closed-loop pressurized system. One of this system's major Achilles heels is the ...

Dear Jim: We have teenage daughters who take long showers. Our water heating costs are sky high. We are on a tight budget, but want to use some solar water heating. Is there a do-it-yourself system we ...

Solar energy has been around for a long time now, which means it's become much more accessible to normal homeowners. With solar panels or collectors installed on your roof, you can take advantage of ...

Dear Jim: I want to become more green and my children are all for it. From what I have read, using a solar water heater makes the most sense. I don't have much money for one. How can we build a simple ...

An international research team has designed a novel cooling system for PV modules involving a phase change material (PCM), heat sink fins, and water. The experimental system utilizes passive cooling, ...