Actual Performance and Economic Feasibility of Residential Solar Water Heaters

摘要

Four residential water heaters currently available on the Brazilian market have been evaluated for their possible use in substituting for the common electric shower head. The tests were carried out with the solar systems mounted side by side on an artificial roof. The hot water demand was simulated following a consumer profile which represents an average Brazilian family. The data, which was collected automatically and presented in the form of graphs and tables, shows that an optimized solar water heater could save as much as 65 percent of the energy demand for residential water heating in the state of Sao Paulo. A study concludes that the installation and maintenance of such a solar system are economically feasible if long term financing is available.