What type of Solar Heating for a house works best in a cold climate.?
Question:
Answer:
In a cold climate, a house with a south facing front, that is partially buried is the most efficient. The best ones are built into a hillside, the front is almost all glass and the solar cells are stacked at the front of the house, ready to pump heat into the house when it's needed. During the winter, the ground temperature (except for the top few inches) doesn't change much from what it was in summer. It's an incredible insulator.
Can't tell you what it costs to get, install and maintain because that depends on your house design, where you are, and how efficient your present home is.
With the underground house, the only conventional heat is applied to the water heating system, and even that is minimal as there is usually enough heat generated by the solar cells to provide hot water as well.
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