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Daox · 09-02-09, 07:29 AM

Excellent question and the answer is it can absolutely be done. In fact, that is my same dream (but different house obviously).

First, you'll need to figure out about how much heat you'll need. Or you can calculate the heat loss of the house. Previous utility bills would be a great indicator of how many BTUs you'd need to have to heat in winter. From there, you can look at a solar map like this one to see how much panel area you'd need to collect that much heat. Also, you'd probably want to oversize the system so you can sustain heat over a few cloudy days.

I highly recommend looking over BuildItSolar.com. It has tons of DIY info on exactly this subject. The owner of the site has the same setup as you describe and gives great detail on how he made his system.

09-02-09, 07:29 AM	#2
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	Excellent question and the answer is it can absolutely be done. In fact, that is my same dream (but different house obviously). First, you'll need to figure out about how much heat you'll need. Or you can calculate the heat loss of the house. Previous utility bills would be a great indicator of how many BTUs you'd need to have to heat in winter. From there, you can look at a solar map like this one to see how much panel area you'd need to collect that much heat. Also, you'd probably want to oversize the system so you can sustain heat over a few cloudy days. I highly recommend looking over BuildItSolar.com. It has tons of DIY info on exactly this subject. The owner of the site has the same setup as you describe and gives great detail on how he made his system. __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.