The Contribution of Solar Thermal Energy to the Overall heat Demand in Europe

This is an interesting excerpt from the book  Solar heating systems for houses: a design handbook for solar combisystems By Werner W. Weiss, International Energy Agency. Solar Heating and Cooling Programme.  I’ve placed this book in the Residential Energy Kit Store. Click Here. The depth is amazing but maybe to much if you are not an engineer or architect.

SolarThermalEnergyEU

This diagram clearly shows the potential of each energy system impact on the overall domestic energy consumption. I believe the EU data will apply to North America as well. Australia and New Zealand would be different.

DIY home solar heating may have the largest impact on cost depending on your areas heating requirements. Home solar space heating then solar  hot water heating will give the biggest bang for the buck. The good news is both projects are low cost (about $100) and easy to implement. Storing the heat may be a problem. Adding an extra hot water storage tank to the system will allow for overnight heating but requires an active system instead of a passive system.

Both projects are detailed on the Residential Energy Kit site home page:  Solar Hot Water Guide and Solar Heater Guides