Solarthermal Heating What is Solarthermal? Solarthermal or Solar Domestic Hot Water (SDHW) systems use the sun to produce year round hot water for homes and buildings.They do not , however, produce enough hot water in Winter to be used for heating a house in the Northeast. But even in harsh northern climates, a properly sized solarthermal system can supply 60 to 75% of yearly domestic hot water needs, which typically amount to 14 to 20% of the total energy costs of a household. With substantial state and federal tax credits available for up to 55% of the costs of a system, this is an attractive green investment with payback in as little as 4 to 8 years and an average yearly C02 displacement of more than 2.5 tons (according to DOE statistics). Hudson Valley Clean Energy installs Enerworks SDHW systems, a Canadian product that has demonstrated trouble free reliability and suitability in our climate since 1999. How does Solarthermal work? Flat plate solar collectors filled with a nontoxic antifreeze (propylene glycol) solution are closed-loop connected to an inside heat exchanger, which fills the solar storage tank during daylight hours. This tank then connects to the home's conventional storage tank to provide up to 100% of hot water demands during warm weather months and 25 to 40% in the dead of winter. The day after the 2007 Valentine's Day blizzard, a local resident reported 163 degree temperatures being generated by the collectors! To see or download a .pdf of the Enerworks brochure, Click here. (3,156 KB pdf)