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Stylized Text: Solar Thermal Systems - Ratings.

FSEC Approved Solar Energy Systems for Domestic Hot Water

The systems listed here were evaluated by the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) in accordance with the Operation of the Solar Thermal Systems Certification Program and were found to meet the minimum standards established by FSEC.

This listing includes Florida Energy Factors for use in the 1993 Florida Energy Efficiency Code for Building Construction

Introduction

How This Listing is Organized

How to Use This Listing with the Florida Energy Code

Domestic Hot Water System Ratings

Introduction

This listing contains Florida Energy Factors for solar domestic hot water systems that have been approved by the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) for use in the State. These energy factors represent the dimensionless ratio of the hot water energy made available by each approved system divided by the electrical energy used by the system. The Florida Energy Factor (FEF) is used to determine hot water credit multipliers for residential solar water heating systems in the 1993 Florida Energy Efficiency Code for Building Construction. The FEF can also be used to compare the efficiency of solar water heating systems with other types of water heaters (e.g., electric, gas, and heat pump) that also use Energy Factors as a rating measure.

How This Listing is Organized

FSEC approved solar water heating systems are listed alphabetically by company. The first four columns of each listing represent the FSEC system identification number, the company name, the system model name or number, and the solar collector or glazed unit model used in the system. The next two columns list the minimum gross collector area (in square feet) and the rated volume of the storage tank (in gallons). The last two columns contain the Florida Energy Factors for North Florida (Florida Energy Code Climate Zones 1-3) and for Central/South Florida (Code Climate Zones 4-9). Details on how these Florida Energy Factors have been developed for each FSEC-approved solar water heating system can be found in "Solar Water Heating Performance: Use of the Energy Factors" (FSEC-RR-30-93) available from FSEC's Public Information Office.

How to Use This Listing with the Florida Energy Code

The residential building performance compliance method in the Florida Energy Efficiency Code for Building Construction provides hot water credit multipliers (HWCM) for solar water heating systems based on five ranges of Florida Energy Factors. The FEF ranges in the Code are 10=.0-1.9, 2.0-2.9, 3.0-3.0, 4.0-4.9, and 5.0 and higher. The Energy Code also divides the state into nine climatic zones with three zones in each of three regions -- North, Central, and South Florida. For Energy Code Climate Zones 1, 2, and 3, the North Florida Energy Factor should be used to select the appropriate FEF range in the HWCM table on the residential Energy Code form. For Climate Zones 4 through 9, the Central/South Florida Energy Factor should be used with the HWCM table to obtain the multiplier for use in the compliance calculation method.

For the purpose of the Energy Code, the efficiencies of any two systems are considered to be approximately the same if their Florida Energy Factors fall within the same relative range. This acknowledges that, just as with air conditioning and heating systems, each installation has site-specific characteristics that can affect the rated performance of the system. It also acknowledges that recommended installation procedures must always be followed since they are equally important in determining a system's overall efficiency.

To receive code credits, the Energy Code now requires that a rated solar collector in a solar water heating system be installed as follows:

1. Tilted to an angle between 10 and 40 degrees of horizontal; and
2. Oriented to face a direction within 45 degrees of south.

These installation requirements permit a Florida solar collector to be mounted parallel with a southeast-facing to southwest-facing roof that has a pitch ranging from slightly more than 3 in 12 to a pitch as steep as 10 in 12. For installations that require that the solar collector be installed outside these practical limits, the Energy Code will not provide any water heating credit.

Pool heating systems are not rated because their efficiency is not regulated by the Florida Energy Efficiency Code for Building Construction.

Domestic Hot Water Systems Listing
Listings are in alphabetical order by the company's name.

A-G    H-R    S    T-Z