■ Manufactured by Velux
■ 800-888-3589; www.veluxusa.com
■ Cost of complete two-panel system: $7500 to $9500
Solar water-heating systems take the sting out of household-energy bills, but rack-mounted rooftop collectors certainly won’t win any beauty contests. That factor alone might make Velux’s new solar panels all the more attractive.
These low-profile collectors look like skylights, Velux’s bread-and-butter product, and are mounted and flashed like skylights, making installation a familiar process for most carpenters. The screws or bolts that typically connect the racks to the roof aren’t needed, reducing the potential for leaks. When the time comes, the house can be re-roofed without removing the collectors.
The Velux kit includes two 41⁄2-ft. by 6-ft. panels that are connected to a hot-water storage tank via a pair of 3⁄4-in.-dia. corrugated stainless-steel lines, which carry the propylene glycol heat-transfer fluid.
For optimum performance, most solar panels are mounted at an angle that approximates the site’s latitude. Because Velux collectors are installed flat on the roof, however, placement for optimal performance is not always possible. Jim Cika, manager of solar products for Velux, says the company’s tests found that any pitch from 3-in-12 up to 15-in-12 and up to 45º east or west of due south resulted in no more than a 10% energy loss.
Cika estimated the installed cost of a two-panel, 80-gal. system (good for a household of up to four people) at between $7500 and $9500 before rebates or tax credits, which vary depending on where you live. A three-panel system with a 120-gal. tank would cost between $9000 and $11,000.
Photo: Courtesy of Velux
