For buildings that use hot water all day, every day, solar thermal can supply a large share of the load and let the gas or electric heater do the rest.
Commercial Solar Water Heaters
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How commercial solar water heating works
Roof-mounted collectors heat a fluid that transfers its heat to a storage tank. The building draws from that pre-heated storage, and the existing water heater or boiler only tops up the temperature. On a North Carolina roof the collectors do most of the work for much of the year, and the backup heater carries the load on cloudy days and at night.
Solar thermal suits loads that are steady and large: hotels, laundries, car washes, multifamily buildings, athletic facilities, food processing and healthcare. It suits them far less when the load is small or intermittent, and we will say so.
What Progressive provides
- Load analysis and system sizing against your actual hot water use.
- Collector, storage and heat-exchanger design, integrated with your existing boiler or water heater as backup.
- Installation by licensed plumbers with the roof, structural and electrical work coordinated under one contract.
- Freeze protection, controls, and scheduled maintenance of the glycol loop and collectors.
Frequently asked questions
Does solar water heating work in the winter?
Yes. Output is lower on short cloudy days, which is why every commercial system keeps a conventional backup heater in the loop. The system is designed for annual savings, not for any single day.
What incentives are available?
Federal and state incentives for solar thermal change over time. We identify what applies when we quote the project and show the payback with and without incentives.
Can solar be added to an existing water heating system?
In most cases, yes. Solar pre-heats the water and the existing heater or boiler becomes the backup.
Call (877) 325-0180 or request a proposal. Commercial plumbing crews are on call 24/7 across Raleigh, Durham and the Triangle.
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- Review from T. Craig D., Chapel Hill
T. Craig D., Chapel Hill
I just wanted to send a note thanking Dwayne Sandy for his careful work while installing my water line and interior plumbing fixtures. … Many thanks for the timely and professional work.
- Review from Joshua N.
Joshua N.
These two gentlemen in my opinion are great assets to your organization and represent it well. We look forward to a continued relationship with Progressive for all our plumbing needs.
- Review from Bhanu Das
Bhanu Das
Joe Oliveira stopped by my home, took time to understand the problem that I was having with the unit, went back and discussed the issue with his team of experts and had a detailed work order sent to me with in a day. … Based on the experience that I have had with Progressive Plumbing, Heating & Air, Electrical, I will HIGHLY recommend them for HVAC install and maintenance.