Solar Heating Tubes: The Other Green Energy
In today's business and political climate, building owners are struggling to adhere to the ever changing government regulations and the demands of t...
In today’s business and political climate, building owners are struggling to adhere to the ever changing government regulations and the demands of tenants. Finding more environment friendly ways of supplying energy to our buildings can be a challenge.
There has been a lot of talk recently about the many benefits of wind power, but permit me to introduce you to solar heating tubes: the other green energy source. The sun is the most powerful energy source we have. Every day, 365 days per year The sun gives us energy in the form of light and heat throughout the year. Unfortunately most of the energy it supplies goes unused, while we continue to burn our way through the planets limited supply of fossil fuels. The situation will only get worse for those who continue to rely on fossil fuels, and the time to embrace an environmentally favorable approach to supplying our energy needs is now, while the governments of many states and countries are willing to subsidize the costs.
Using solar heating tubes as an alternate form of green energy will have many benefits, for both building owners and tenants. Even if solar power is only used to heat the buildings water the savings can be enormous, depending on how much warm water is used. Naturally, different buildings use different amounts of warm water, but hot water is used for one reason or another in pretty much every building, whether it’s tenants taking showers, washing their clothes, washing dishes, or even just washing their hands. Many buildings also employ radiant heat, using coils of heated water beneath the flooring to heat the rooms. If this is the case with your buildings, you will be able to save a lot of money by reducing the amount of oil, gas or electricity you use for heating your buildings.
In places like New York solar energy has always been regarded as ineffective as the weather is changeable and there is often not enough direct sunlight for solar panels to be effective. Solar heating tubes, on the other hand, work differently and are able to capture much more sunlight. The solar heating tubes can be positioned in such a way that they can collect the sun’s energy during all daylight hours, as the sunlight will reach the surface of the cylinder from virtually any angle, as opposed to flat solar panels, which need direct sunlight to work effectively. The energy collected is then kept inside copper rods and the tubes are vacuum-sealed, which allows very little of the energy to escape. So little, in fact, that the surface of the tubes will remain cool while the temperature of the rods storing the solar power can reach well over three hundred degrees Fahrenheit. The introduction of these two factors enables property owners to make use of solar power even in cooler environments. If you are a landlord in New York green energy is now a practical option.
This really is one green technology that you will want to be on the cutting edge of. Installing solar heating tubes in your buildings will not only reduce your carbon footprint and help save the planet, it also has the potential to leave a lot of added green in your bank account. When you look at it that way, it’s very hard to ignore the benefits of installing solar heating tubes.
Craig Axelrod is a principal for EmmyEnergy.com, a operation installing & green systems throughout the North East.
