What solar hot water system would I need for my home and what would it cost - The system sizing page should help with general sizing considerations, and our system costs are provided on the solar vs. electric and solar vs. gas pages.  Typically a 1-3 person home requires a 1 collector system costing $2350, and a 3-5 person home requires a two panel system costing $3495 after EnerGuide grants.  For a site specific recommendation on what system is right for you, and an exact quote on what that system would cost, please contact us and we will can provide a detailed site analysis and/or system quote for you.
 

What does a solar pool system cost - Every pool system is different, however, as a rule of thumb the cost is $7.99 per square foot of pool area.  You should consider a combined solar hot water or supplemental home heating system in conjunction with a solar pool heating system.  Contact us for site specific options and quotes.
 

Will hail damage the solar collectors - The glass cover on solar collectors is high strength tempered glass (similar to automotive windows) which is much stronger than typical home window glass.  We are not aware of any collectors installed in Saskatchewan having broken as a result of hail damage so far, however anything is possible.  Like a skylight or other parts of your house, your home insurance should cover any hail or other types of damage that may occur to your solar collector.
 

What happens in the winter when snow covers the collector - In most cases snow will melt or slide off of the glass collector fairly quickly because it will be much warmer than the surrounding roof.  If for some reason a complete snow cover stays on the collector, it will not produce hot water until the snow melts or blows off.
 

Can we use the sun power for things other than heating - The EnerWorks collectors that Rock Paper Sun sells are only used for heating water, however you can also install solar electric (photovoltaic or PV) panels which are used to provide electrical power for your home.  The payback on these systems is currently much longer than that for the solar thermal systems, however they are a technology that Rock Paper Sun is knowledgeable about, and are planning on providing product offerings soon.  Please contact us if you'd like to consider one of these systems, we can discuss current costs and grants/programs that are available.
 

What is the optimal angle to mount the solar collectors at - From an energy collection per unit area perspective there are optimal mounting angles.  In Saskatoon this is somewhere between 40 and 70 degrees, depending on what time of year you wish to obtain the most energy from the system.  However, from a system cost and practicality perspective, it is often optimal to mount collectors flat on a sloped roof, and then install the appropriate number of collectors to meet your needs.  In most residential installs, roof area is not a limiting factor, so installing at the optimal angle for energy collection is not a critical issue.
 

Are evacuated tube collectors better than flat plate collectors - For the most part, evacuated tube collectors have better performance characteristics in cold climates, however, the cost of these systems is typically less attractive than the flat plate collectors.  You can often just install one or two extra flat plate collectors for a lower cost than a equal output evacuated tube system.  Rock Paper Sun can provide quotes and install evacuated tube systems, just let us know if that's what you want to do.
 

Does a solar hot water system replace my existing system - No, for almost all residential systems, a solar water system is connected in series with your existing hot water system.  If/when your existing conventional system needs replacing, you can likely replace it with a smaller system, however, you still use the conventional water heater to top-up the heat provided by solar when solar does not do the whole job.  This can happen when you have higher than typical hot water usage, after prolonged cloudy periods, or in the winter when the solar day is very short, and the incoming water temperature is lower.
 

How much hot water will the solar heating system provide - Most systems we install are sized to provide near 100% of summer hot water needs and between 50-75% of your total yearly needs.  You can see the Savings vs. Electric or Savings vs. Gas pages for typical system payback, or talk with us about your particular situation to get an accurate estimate of what your specific savings could be.