Solar Window Heater: South Facing Savings

I recently discovered an inexpensive, eco-friendlyblack to maximize heat absorption from the sun.
product to supplement your home heatingOn a day with full sun, the panel will reach
system. It's a compact, but efficient, solartemperatures of 140 - 170 degrees.
powered room heater designed to be installed inA newer version of the solar window heater
the south facing rooms of your house orreplaces the aluminum panel with high quality
apartment.copper, also finished in flat black.
Since it's powered by the sun, and heats with hotLocated inside the panel is a thermostat switch.
air, the only mechanical or moving part is a simpleWhen the temperature of the heated air reaches
fan that draws room temperature air into the120 degrees, the switch automatically turns on
heating panel through a series of heating channels,the fan. When the air temperature cools to 90
and then exhausts the heated air back into thedegrees or less, the fan shuts itself off.
room.The small, efficient fan will move 102 cubic feet
The basic solar window heater is 20" x 32" x 3.5"of air per minute or about 6,000 cubic feet per
and framed in clear pine for painting or staining.hour. The cost of electricity to operate the fan is
Think of it as a box with an aluminum panelaround $3.00 per year.
(collector) behind a sheet of air tight Plexiglas onThe basic model sells for around $150.00. The
the outside, and a sheet of thin wood on thenewer, copper lined solar window heater sells for
inside to trap the collected heat.an additional $10.
Within the box are two baffles configured to lookThe electrical components are available separately
like a maze. This allows for a continuous streamfor $42.95. They include the fan, thermostat,
of air to be heated as it is drawn through the boxjunction control box and transformer. If you're
by the fan.handy, you could probably build your own solar
The aluminum collector panel is finished in flatwindow heater for around $80.