1. Can I use a solar water heating system in place of my existing traditional gas or electric hot water system?
A solar hot-water heating system can take care of the bulk of your hot water needs. However, in some instances, such as when it’s cloudy or rainy, the solar hot-water system may not be able to provide all the hot water you need. We strongly recommend that you install a solar hot-water system in conjunction with your existing system, or install the system with a solar storage tank that has an electric or gas backup.

2. Which collector is better: flat plate or evacuated tube?
At Solar Panels Plus, we supply and sell both types of technologies. Flat plate collectors work very well in warm, sunny conditions, or where a strict budget is a concern. Evacuated tube collectors, which cost about 20 percent more than their flat plate counterparts, work very well in cold, cloudy or otherwise unfavorable conditions. There are a number of factors to weigh when choosing between the two. Consult a seasoned dealer or your sales person to help you decide.

3. Do solar thermal systems produce hot water in the winter? What about when it's cloudy or cold?
Solar Panels Plus manufactures and distributes solar hot-water systems that work exceptionally well in cold, cloudy and winter conditions. At times, however, especially during long periods of cloud cover, some light use of your backup system may be required to meet demands.

4. Can the solar air conditioning system replace my existing system?
An absorption chiller solar air conditioning and heating system is not designed to replace an existing system, but rather to sit alongside it and keep the current (legacy) system from operating a large percentage of the time. The solar HVAC system will not work at night or during times of extended overcast conditions. From a controls standpoint, the solar air conditioning system will be configured as primary and the legacy system will be set up as supplemental.

5. Why should I heat my pool?
Your pool represents a significant financial investment. Heating your pool allows you, your family, and your guests to enjoy that investment longer throughout the year. Heating your pool enables you to comfortably enjoy your pool - this means swimming earlier in the spring, later in the evenings, and later into the fall.

6. Can I use a solar space-heating system in place of my existing traditional gas or electric heating system?
A solar space-heating system can take care of the bulk of your space-heating needs, significantly reducing your heating bills. However, in some instances, such as on days when it’s cloudy or rainy, the solar space-heating system may not be able to provide all the heat you need to keep your home or business warm. That’s why we strongly recommend that you get you a solar space-heating system installed in conjunction with your existing heating system.

7. Can I use a solar water heating system in place of my existing traditional gas or electric hot water system?
A solar hot-water heating system can take care of the bulk of your hot water needs. However, in some instances, such as when it’s cloudy or rainy, the solar hot-water system may not be able to provide all the hot water you need. We strongly recommend that you install a solar hot-water system in conjunction with your existing system, or install the system with a solar storage tank that has an electric or gas backup.

8. What incentives are offered for users of PV solar systems?
Currently, the Federal gives a personal or business tax credit of 30% of the cost of a PV system. Many states also offer additional incentives for utilizing PV solar products.

9. Can I use a solar hot-water system for my business or to cut costs in my facility?
Absolutely. Solar hot-water systems can generally take care of the bulk of hot water needs for businesses, industrial facilities and manufacturing plants, to name a few. These types of applications generally use a large volume of hot water and can benefit greatly from a solar hot water system.

10. What is a PV panel?
A PV solar panel, referred to in the industry as a solar module, is constructed by connecting photovoltaic cells (or PV cells) to produce electricity. The cells are a semiconductor-based technology that converts solar radiation into direct current (DC) electricity. Solar panels for grid-connected home or business use typically use 60 or 72 PV cells.

11. Why use a solar pool heater instead of an electric or gas pool heater?
A solar pool heater can be less expensive up front than an electric heater, heat pump, or gas heater, depending how large your pool is. Once a solar pool heater is installed, you heat your pool for free. With an electric or gas heater you need to pay the electric or gas company depending on how much you use the heater. In the spring and fall when you need heat the most, you use the pool heater more, so with an electric or gas heater it will cost you more - but a solar pool heater is always completely free.

Also, solar is non-polluting, and it can actually serve to cool your pool down to a comfortable temperature during very hot months, something no gas heater can do.

12. Which collector is better: flat plate or evacuated tube?
At Solar Panels Plus, we supply and sell both types of technologies. Flat plate collectors work very well in warm, sunny conditions, or where a strict budget is a concern. Evacuated tube collectors, which cost about 20 percent more than their flat plate counterparts, work very well in cold, cloudy or otherwise unfavorable conditions. There are a number of factors to weigh when choosing between the two. Consult a seasoned dealer or your sales person to help you decide.

13. Which is better for a solar space-heating system: flat plates or evacuated tubes?
At Solar Panels Plus, we supply and sell both types of technologies. Flat plate collectors work very well in warm, sunny conditions, or where a strict budget is a concern. Evacuated tube collectors work very well in cold, cloudy or otherwise unfavorable conditions. We generally recommend evacuated tubes for space heating systems because they consistently produce more heat when conditions are colder and unfavorable.

14. How long will a solar panel system last?
Solar panels are known to last 40 years or longer.

15. How much does a solar pool heating system cost to maintain or operate?
Solar Panels Plus' pool heating systems use automated controls to operate the entire system with no supervision or monitoring needed. Therefore, there are no costs in operating or maintaining the solar pool panels. In some cases, an additional booster pump may be required, depending on the system design, however, this would cost at most a few dollars a month.

16. How much roof space will I need for my solar hot-water system?
This is largely dependent on the size of the solar hot-water system being installed. Each evacuated tube collector needs about 50 square feet, and each will generate anywhere from 80 to 120 gallons of hot water per day. Commercial solar hot-water systems can be as small as two or three collectors, or as large as several hundred or more.

17. Do solar thermal systems produce hot water in the winter? What about when it’s cloudy or cold?
Solar Panels Plus manufactures and supplies solar hot-water systems that work exceptionally well in cold, cloudy and winter conditions. At times, however, especially during long periods of cloud cover, a backup system may be needed temporarily to meet demands.

18. What happens if one of the solar tubes is broken?
Our evacuated tubes are exceptionally strong. However, if one is broken, it can be easily replaced at a low cost. Replacement tubes are available through your local dealer.

19. If there is a broken tube, does the system still work? Will it leak?
If there’s a broken tube, the rest of the collector will still function, although at a slightly lower performance. Since each tube is modular and separate from the system, a broken tube shouldn’t leak into the other components.

20. What kind of maintenance is required for a solar hot-water system?
A solar hot-water system requires very little maintenance, especially closed-loop systems. Closed-loop solar hot-water systems are designed to operate so almost no maintenance is required. The controls operate the pump and monitor the system’s activities on a daily basis.

21. Can solar air conditioning systems be used for residential applications?
In a technical sense, for very large residential applications - such as apartment buildings, or very large residences (5,000+ SF), the system can be used. However, this system is designed primarily for commercial applications, as flat roof space, an area for cooling towers, fans, and absorption chillers, pumps, and piping is required. Most residences cannot support this.

22. What is the life expectancy of a solar powered A/C system?
The median life expectancy of the absorption systems is 23 years according to ASHRAE. There are few moving parts to wear out other than small, low cost pumps.

23. Is this technology new?
It is not new, rather it is a combination of two very well established technologies. Solar thermal collectors have a 30+ year success story behind them, and the absorption chillers have been in use for over 50 years. Putting them together with the right engineering is the only thing that is new, coming about over the past 10 years or so.

24. What type of maintenance is involved with a solar powered A/C unit?
Typically the maintenance is the same or less than with a regular HVAC system. Any commercial system should have a bi-annual preventive maintenance check-up.

25. Can the solar collectors for the solar A/C be used for any heating applications?
Yes, when configured as a HVAC system the unit will provide heat in the winter.