Solar water heating system: collectors, smart controller and backup
A NaturaTemp solar water heating system has four parts: solar water-heating panels, a smart controller, a backup heat source and an app for monitoring and control. This guide explains what each part does, what the system can heat and what it needs to pay off.
The four parts of the system
Every NaturaTemp system, from a 12 m³ pool to a hotel, is built from the same four parts. Only the number of panels, the priorities and the backup change.
Solar water-heating panels
Glass vacuum tubes that absorb the sun's heat and pass it to water. Solar collectors heat water, not make electricity, and keep working on cold, overcast days.
The smart controller
Keeps checking temperatures, holds the targets you set, sends the heat where it's needed and switches the backup on only when the sun isn't enough.
The backup
A heat pump, or the boiler or heat pump you already have, for nights, cloudy days and peaks. It runs fewer hours than before.
The app
Monitoring and control from your phone or computer: temperatures, system status and settings. Many processes run automatically, as far as the equipment allows.
What a solar water-heating panel is, and why vacuum tubes
A solar water-heating panel collects the sun's heat and passes it straight to water. This is not a photovoltaic panel: it makes hot water, not electricity.
NaturaTemp panels are built of glass vacuum tubes. The vacuum between the two glass walls keeps the heat in, like a thermos flask, so the tube keeps heating water when the air outside is cold or windy. On an overcast day the tubes also collect the diffuse light, with a lower output. That is what makes the panels work in every season, and reach the temperatures hot water, spa pools and process water need.
The panels go on a roof, a wall or a ground frame. Our engineers set their orientation and tilt on site to match how the system is used: someone who swims mainly in winter gets a different angle from someone who swims mainly in summer. The panels have no moving parts.
What the smart controller does
The controller is what turns a set of panels into a system. It runs all the time and does five things:
Holds the target temperatures
For the pool, the hot-water tank, the jacuzzi or the rooms, each with its own target that you set.
Sends the heat where it's needed
By the priorities set together with you: for example, hot water first, then the pool, then the house in winter.
Switches the backup on only when the sun isn't enough
At night, on cloudy days and at peaks. When the sun can do the job, the backup stays off.
Protects the system from overheating
In summer it holds the target you chose; if the system also heats a hot-water tank or a jacuzzi, the surplus goes there.
Records the temperatures
So the app shows what the system did today and over the season.
The backup: a heat pump or the heater you already have
On days with enough sun the collectors can cover a large share of the heating; at night and on cloudy days the backup tops up what's missing. The controller switches it on automatically, only when the water is below the target and the sun isn't enough. So the backup runs fewer hours: a smaller bill, and a heat pump that runs less may last longer.
If you already have a heat pump or a boiler, it can usually be connected to the system. What the controller can do with it — only switch it on and off, or also adjust its output — depends on the model; we check this at the site survey.
The full comparison for pools: Heat pump vs solar pool heating
What the system can heat
The same four parts serve very different sites. Each solution page explains the sizing, the backup and the priorities for its case.
Pools
Private pools, zimmer pools, public and therapy pools: the sun heats the water, a heat pump tops up when needed, and a cover at night cuts the heat loss.
Homes
One system for the pool, the jacuzzi, water underfloor heating or fan coils and the hot-water tank. Space heating is best combined with a pool, so the panels work more months a year.
Hotels and zimmers
Hot water for the rooms and showers, the pool, the jacuzzi and the spa, and where possible the rooms' heating through existing fan coils.
Industry
Process water, wash water and the plant's hot water, with the existing boilers as backup and the saving calculated from your fuel price.
Remote monitoring and control
From your phone or computer you follow the temperatures and the system status, change targets and control the system. Many processes run automatically, as far as the equipment allows: what the controller can do with a given heat pump or boiler depends on its model.
For the first weeks after start-up we monitor the system remotely and fine-tune the settings to the weather and how you use it.
What the system needs to pay off
Three things, and we check all of them at the site survey before we quote.
A sunny spot
A roof, a wall or the ground that gets sun most of the day; our engineers set the orientation and tilt on site. If the only free spot is in shade most of the day, we'll tell you upfront that the system won't pay off.
A load that uses heat all year
A pool together with the house, hot water in a hotel, daily process water in a plant. Underfloor heating alone is needed mainly in winter, so the panels are used less in the summer months.
A backup for winter nights
A heat pump or the existing heater, so the target holds when the sun can't cover it. Small outdoor pools used in the warm seasons can do without one.
Warranty and maintenance
The system comes with a 5-year warranty. The panels have no moving parts, so maintenance is light: an annual check and dusting of the tubes. The app shows temperatures and system status, so anything unusual is easy to spot.
Questions about the system
Short answers to what people ask once they understand the parts.
What's the difference from a standard solar water heater (dud shemesh)?
A standard solar water heater heats only the tap and shower water of one household. A NaturaTemp system heats water for a whole site — pool, jacuzzi, underfloor heating, hot water, process water — with a controller deciding where the heat goes and a backup for when the sun isn't enough.
What's the difference from photovoltaic panels?
Photovoltaic panels make electricity, not heat. To heat a pool or a house with them, you still need a heat pump or a heating element. Solar water-heating panels pass the sun's heat straight to the water. The two systems can share one roof if the space is planned in advance.
Does it work in winter and on cloudy days?
The vacuum tubes keep heating water in every season, with less output on cloudy days and none at night. The backup covers the rest, and the controller switches it on automatically.
What happens in summer, when there is too much sun?
The controller holds the target temperatures you chose and protects the system from overheating. If the system also heats a hot-water tank or a jacuzzi, the summer surplus goes there.
How long does installation take?
For a home or a pool, on-site work usually takes a few days after the survey and the design. Hotels and plants depend on the scope and are planned around the site's schedule.