CONTROLS FOR SOLAR HEATING SYSTEMS

Besides the fact that designing an active system to supply enough heat 100% of the time is generally not practical or cost-effective, most building codes and mortgage lenders require a back-up heating system. Supplementary or back-up systems supply heat when the solar system cannot meet heating requirements. Backups can range from a wood stove to a conventional central heating system.

CONTROLS FOR SOLAR HEATING SYSTEMS

Controls for solar heating systems are usually more complex than those of a conventional heating system, because they have to analyze more signals and control more devices (including the conventional back-up heating system). Solar controls use sensors, switches, and/or motors to operate the system. The system uses other controls to prevent freezing or extremely high temperatures in the collectors.