If you're looking for a cost-effective and eco-friendly way to heat your home, look no further than a solar-powered heater. Heating your home using solar power can be great for the environment, and can also save you money on your monthly energy bill. Each year, millions of homeowners and renters use space heaters, most of which are electric. While electric heaters are convenient, they can come with a hefty price tag, which grows even higher in cold seasons. Besides, electricity can be in short supply during cold months, which could make you spend even more on heating. DIY Solar air heater projects are one of the most cost-effective options when it comes to heating your home.
They cost about $200 for installation and more than $200 for the initial materials. They warm up to 700 square feet, depending on how much of the sun’s energy is absorbed by the panels. Planning for a DIY solar heater in your old shed? Here are 17 DIY solar air heater projects you can build for under $100. The average homeowner spends about $10 a month on their electric bill, but solar air heaters can reduce that by 50 percent or more. The savings are even greater if you install them yourself.
What kind of DIY solar air heater project you should choose:
Selecting the best DIY solar heater projects for your house depends on several factors.
- First, the type of heating system that works best for your house depends on the size of your home and the kind of roof you have.
- Second, you have to consider the parts of your house that receive the most sunlight, which would include the windows, skylights, overhangs, and porches.
- Third, you have to consider the kind of weather you experience in your area.
For example, if you live in a humid climate, your solar heater should be resistant to moisture. On the other hand, you need to also consider how you will use your heater. For instance, if it is for a specific purpose, such as heating water, it’s more appropriate for a solar water heater.
How to Install a DIY Solar Air Heater With Materials:
- The first thing you need is a solar panel, and for this kind of solar heater, you will need a panel that is at least 20 square feet (or 2 square meters). The panels that work best are polycrystalline, but monocrystalline panels will work as well.
- You will also need a copper pipe, about 3 feet long. Additionally, you will require a solar collector, which is a box that collects heat from the sun and transfers that heat to the pipe.
- A solar air heater is one of the simplest solar heater designs you can make.
- All you need is one solar panel, a copper pipe, and a solar collector.
- Simply connect the solar panel to the copper pipe and the solar collector to the copper pipe.
- For maximum efficiency, you want to make sure the solar panel and collector are in direct alignment. This means positioning the solar panel and collector at the same height or positioning the solar panel above the solar collector.
This DIY solar air heater project uses simple materials you probably have lying around.
A solar collector is a group of solar cells, which are wired to a 12-volt DC power supply. The solar collector absorbs sunlight and transfers electricity to the fan. The fan pushes air through a heat exchanger, where it heats the air. The heated air is blown back into the room.
How A solar air heater Works:
- The beauty of this solar air heater is that you can easily install it on your own patio or deck. You can even move it around for seasonal changes.
- The solar collector is a 48-inch square piece of tempered glass, with 12-volt DC 10 amp solar cells wired to a 12-volt DC power supply.
- This DIY solar air heater project gets its power from the sun. The solar panel is mounted on a bench or fence. The solar collector collects the sunlight during the day and transfers the electricity to the fan.
- The fan blows air through a heat exchanger, where it heats the air. The heated air is blown back into the room.
- This solar air heater isn’t for extreme winter weather. You won’t enjoy warm temperatures. However, during the winter months, it will provide supplemental heat.
How To Build A Simple Solar Air Heater:
This article will show you how to build a simple, effective solar heater. The plans and the making process are very straightforward and easy to follow and understand. Build one and try it out. I am sure you will be more than content with it. The procedure of building a simple solar air heater is relatively easy, all you need are the right materials and basic tools. You can even build multiple layers of these heaters to have more space for heating. The process of building the heater takes roughly around 30 minutes, so you don't have anything to worry about. This is a quick and easy build that will help you increase the efficiency of your solar air heating system.
If you have a solar air collector, then you can build this simple solar air heater right on top. It's just as easy as attaching four aluminum plates to your existing collector and placing some highly reflective insulation between them. Building a solar air heater would be the best decision you ever made, especially if you live in areas where electricity, gas, and propane are expensive. This simple DIY is easy to follow so you don't have to worry about any kind of assembling or instructions.
DIY Solar Air Heater:
DIY Solar Air Heater is a great DIY project. If you have a part of your home that gets a little bit too warm during summer, especially if it has a huge window, then this is the perfect solar air heater for you. It will provide you with a constant stream of warm air without making your electric bill expensive as well as helping to keep the harmful C02 gas from polluting our environment. The DIY solar air heater lets you enjoy the perks of solar energy at home. By placing this air exchanger in your home, you can keep it warm with indoor air during the winter months. It is the best way to cut your monthly utility bills. The detailed instructions are provided to help you through the process of building the air heater.
We are going to see here how to make a DIY Solar Air Heater, this technique costs about $2000, but it can keep you warm on very cold days. It’s easy, just follow the steps in the guide to get done with it. Built from 100% recyclable materials, the DIY solar air heater is designed to ensure that you have a comfortable environment around your home. In addition, it saves you money on energy bills by cycling warm air back into your home at a reduced cost. Properly sized solar panels can collect enough heat for use in all climates.
This air heater design is capable of maintaining temperatures of 55°F to 65°F with solar heat alone! With 3 panels, this air heater is capable of warming the inside of the room it is in by 15°F. The DIY Solar Air Heater is built for your shop, garage, or shed. The theory behind it is that solar heat converts into thermal energy that will be retained in the system. This is exactly what you look for when you are arguing whether to use a solar-powered heater or a regular heating system for your home or shop!
DIY Screened Solar Air Heater:
This DIY solar air heater is crafted out of plywood, pine boards, acrylic sheet, and a Kreg pocket hole jig. This can help you to heat up your room air up to 10 to 20 degrees Celsius during the cooler seasons. Solar energy is free for everyone. The screen-covered solar air heater in this project works on the same idea as this inexpensive one from Ready Made Resources that you can find online that used a window AC unit and a sheet of insulation. In the DIY version, the materials are cheaper but the duct tape is extra. This whole project is made of almost scrap materials so it will prove very cheap and inexpensive. The material for this project includes a pocket hole jig, pine boards, plywood sheets, and acrylic sheets.
There are several steps in making this solar air heater that would keep you busy for days. This step-by-step guide will show you how to build a screened solar air heater that has great insulation and can be built for around $60. This DIY project only took about 4 hours to build, and it's very lightweight, yet durable. For the materials used in this guide, the creator spent $78.00. This project can act as an extra room heater during the fall and winter seasons. It uses a 12 v DC panel, and a 4" fan. A thermostat controls a relay that operates a magnetic solenoid valve supplying hot water from a water heater to the air heater. Great looking screen cage for keeping birds away from your solar air heater. The entire thing was designed using Sketchup.
DIY Cheap Solar Air Heater:
Build a DIY solar air heating panel for under $60. This guide will teach you how to build a solar air heating panel for a small room or a space heater for a few dollars. The simple design provides a lot of heat and is easy to construct. It involves inexpensive materials and basic tools, and everything required is easily available from home improvement stores. The guide starts off with an explanation of the types of solar air heaters and the benefits of building your own. Next, it goes into detail about how to build your own DIY cheap solar air heater at home. The temperature guidelines are explained in detail together with the differences between low-temperature systems and high-temperature solar water heating systems.
This guide shows you how to make a DIY solar air heater at home without wasting too much money. It is quite a popular project in the community and I'm sure you have seen a lot of people interested in the idea. This article is to give you a complete plan on how you can build one yourself, and it looks great too. Using everyday materials, this tutorial will teach you how to create your own solar air heater. The $0 cost for this project is possible using items that some would consider waste products. Get to know the radiant heat system. Learn how to make an easy solar-powered radiant heat collector for your home in only ONE DAY! This custom-made solar heating system is specifically designed for use in Canada and can warm your home throughout the whole winter season with free sunlight.
DIY Solar Air Heater Boxes:
Cover your window air conditioning unit to keep it warm with this DIY Solar Air Heater. This is a great way to raise the temperature of your home without using electricity. You will need some wood. Plywood boards are best, but you could also use thin sheets of chipboard or even thin sheets of hardwood. Of course, check out the materials list below to determine how much you need for your desired design. Since you’ll be working with wood, you may want safety glasses and gloves to protect yourself from splinters!
This is a simple DIY solar air heater article. Assembly time is a few hours, and the cost is under $200. The heater itself is not going to heat an entire room, but it IS going to help to maintain a warm temperature much longer once you have turned the thermostat down to a lower setting. In fact, many people will find that they can completely turn their thermostat off once this unit is working properly. These DIY solar air heater boxes are great for camping, hiking, or even working in your garage.
They’re also useful if the power ever goes out due to an ice storm (and it does happen in northern Minnesota!). Making air heater boxes can be a fun weekend project for you and your family. The task is not difficult, using some basic woodworking tools, lots of safety protection for you and your family, some basic supplies, and the freedom to be creative. This article focuses on how to set up an effective heating system that will be robust enough for deep winter use. You can make these if you’ve got some basic carpentry skills and an hour or two to spare. If you want more information on how to make these cool little solar air heaters watch the video below. For this project, you will need wood boards, plastic sheeting, waterproof glue, Screws, nails and good waterproof carpenters glue, Plywoodrope, Expanding foam, Plastic rope, and some others.
DIY Solar Heater:
Solar heaters are becoming more popular in the eco-thrifty communities. This DIY solar air heater can help you save money when it comes time to turn on the heat in your house, and when you add in the cost of making this solar heater your savings will add up quicker than you think. This DIY solar heater can be built in less than a day. Here, we show you how to make a solar air heater from scrap materials from around your home or from a local hardware store. When completed, the air coming from this heater is great for drying your laundry, as well as keeping you and your family warm on those chilly winter days. It only takes a few hours and some solar parts and materials can be gathered throughout the year.
This DIY Solar Air Heater is easy to build and cost-effective! Building the frame only takes an hour and uses 1 sheet of exterior grade plywood. The pump, solar collector, and heating elements can be found online or at your local hardware store. All you need to provide are the tools and materials used for building a wooden frame: saw, screws, caulking, and other miscellaneous items. This DIY solar air heater can increase your home's heating efficiency up to 50 percent, and the product is designed to heat a small room or a larger area. This system can heat everything from your hot tub to your pool, to your garage! It only takes a few hours to assemble this solar heater and costs very little. The materials used are very low cost.
DIY Solar Air Heating Collectors:
When winter comes, try this ultra-efficient way to heat your home - it's solar-powered! This demonstration is simple enough to build that you can do it in one day. Just read step-by-step instructions with photos, gather your materials, and before you know it, you'll have a powerful DIY solar air heating collector! This unique air heating collector can be built by anyone with a staple gun and a little patience. A group of aluminum cans is painted black on the outside to encourage the absorption of solar energy. Since one can is seven inches on each side it will produce approximately 300 watts of heat. The only other materials necessary are some screws, staples, silicone caulk, fiberglass screen, and wood for building the box that will house the unit.
The easiest DIY heat collector for homes is to paint black the inside of old pop cans, turn them into collectors that are placed in direct sun or in a window, connect them to a duct that leads to the house, and finally add a fan to push the air channeled by the cans through larger ducts toward the rooms. Using a solar air heating collector is an inexpensive way to cut your utility bills. The solar air heating collector uses old soda or beer cans painted black as heat collectors.
The inside of the cans becomes hot from the sun shining on them, and the air inside the box is heated either by convection or by radiation from the hot cans. When sunlight shines on the cans filled with water, the water molecules absorb the solar energy and become hot. The hot air trapped by the can columns heats the air passing through them.
Green Energy Futures On Solar Air Heating:
Want to create some heating and cooling with a solar device? No problem — this project uses many of the parts you would need to make a DIY air conditioner or cooler for your home. Get started with parts from around the house, including soda bottles, aluminum foil, tape, cookie sheets, and cookie sheet lids. It's packed with photos to help you along the way! If you have soda — and who doesn't — you can create inexpensive solar panels to take advantage of this technology! What would it take to heat your house without needing a furnace or other conventional energy source? Get this solar heating panel and find out! The Green Energy Futures On Solar Air Heating panel captures energy from the sun to heat your home.
Simply place it on your window sill, set it up on the ground, or hang it on your wall. As the air flows through the solar panels, they absorb all of that hot energy, which then heats the air that comes into your home. Throughout the day, just watch all of that hot air wafting into your home! This project shows how to construct and use a soda-can chamber for this purpose. Use this homemade solar panel to heat hot water in your home. The panel takes in air from the bottom and creates heat that is then transferred upward to heat the air in your home. This design can be used with a variety of materials, even soda bottles!
Building This Diy Solar Air Heater Can Save You $1000 Per Winter:
With the DIY Solar Air Heating Collector, you can heat your home for free! Uses simple thermodynamics, with no moving parts. Cheap, effective, easy to build. Save up to $1000 or more per year on your home energy bills with the simplest DIY solar air heating collector. This doesn't need any moving parts, special tools, or materials, is cheap, and can be constructed in an afternoon. Here's how you can do it... Environmental-minded people will be attracted to this simple solar collector that can save you up to 60% on your heating bill. Building this device is quick and easy, Just basic materials, built for a very low cost. The collected heat can be used to warm the house or water. Built to fit on a window sill and it is made out of very inexpensive materials.
The only thing you will know is how much money you will save by building and installing this collector. With over 400 hours of sunshine per year, solar air heating is the lowest cost way to heat air in your home. This 2x2 collector is built from readily available materials, without special tools or skills, and 40-50% of the assembled collector cost can be recovered in 1st-year energy savings. The finished unit will produce 75% more hot air using solar input at 75F compared to dryer output and will produce 100+ degree F air when outdoor temperatures are below 40F.
DIY Your Own Solar Air Heater:
Everything you need to make this zero-cost air heater:-Wooden frame- 3 Ft. Corrugated Galvanized Steel Roof Panels- 12 V strong computer case cooling fan- Foam board. Here is a simple solar air heater guide that will teach you how to build an air duct system that will be able to heat the surrounding area instead of using the usual heating sources like solar panels. The creator used building canvas, galvanized steel roof panels, acrylic, Dacron packaging material, wood, Dacron Insulation, silicone caulk, a small scrap of window screen, a gear clamp, a dryer hose, flanges, and small screws, and many other materials to make this solar air heater. He used a computer case for the power source instead of normal solar cells.
This is a basic air heater made from a wooden frame and a corrugated roof panel sheet. On the top of this sheet, a thin piece of wood is used that glides on some wheels to adjust the angle of the panel, which is exactly the same as you would see on solar thermal collectors. When the sun heats up the panel, hot air rises from it which can be evacuated from a wall grill or simply sucked by a 12V computer fan placed at one end of the body. It is a very simple concept of solar energy for space heating. Place it in front of a south or southwest-facing window and this heater will warm up the room.
How To Make A Solar Air Heater From Metal Cans:
Get a head start on the spring! During the warm months, a good-quality air conditioning unit is a fantastic luxury to have in your home. Because you’re going solar, it doesn’t have to be expensive. We found this guide on making a solar air heater from metal cans and thought it was great - simple, inexpensive, and inexpensive to put together. After seeing pictures of friends' air conditioners, after seeing how their units function, we decided that ours would do the job. This winter, you don’t have to plug in, run up bills or freeze due to lack of heat.
With the easy step-by-step instructions in this solar air heater design guide, you can warm up your room for free with solar heat. You’ll need lots of soda cans, a drill with a long drill bit, scotch tape, a wooden frame, and a hot glue gun. Although this DIY solar air heater is easy to build, the tutorial will teach you where to find recycled soda cans and how to use them in an effective solar air heater. You’ll learn how to minimize heat loss with the use of heat sinks, and that hot glue is a super durable and non-toxic sealer.
Homemade Solar Air Heater:
The dirtiest place in your house is usually your air. It actually carries parasites from the outside and from the inside, pollens, mold spores, dead skin cells, and even pet dander. In this article, we’ll look at a super easy-to-make solar air heater that cleans the air efficiently by simply heating it up. The objective of this guide is to teach you how to make a solar air heater only by using common household or office supplies. You’ll be able to keep your costs very low, and this will allow you to test the effectiveness of the solar air heater in colder regions at little cost. When you choose to make a solar air heater for your home, you are assured of one thing; you’ll contribute to saving the planet.
All you need are three simple things to make one - solar panel, glass sheet, and wood. The first step is to find a glass sheet. Then, use some wood boards to make the casing. Construct the frame out of wood, and after it is ready, line it's inside with glass sheets. A solar panel must be connected to the frame on top of the glass sheets. Chilly air will be blown into your room once you turn on this heater.
Solar Air Heater DIY:
This solar air heater is perfect for people living in cold regions of the world. It's lightweight and portable, and with little practice, it can be made in only an hour or two. Instead of heating your home using electricity or gas, with this heater you can harness the power of the sun to warm your home. A large screened solar air heater and dehumidifier to help battle against the cold and dampness. Made with plumbing fittings and screens to keep you warm. Portable, easy to make, and simple to adjust for maximum heat depending on the weather. Scale down your energy use this season with a DIY solar air heater.
This easy-to-make, portable, and versatile solar heater keeps the room warm and cozy for up to 6 hours after the sun has set. It's eco-friendly--no batteries or electricity needed, and rain-proof. The instructions are simple to follow with pictures detailing each step. The solar air heater is definitely useful in the wintertime especially if you don't have any other heating method. It uses an old-fashioned convenient method of collecting the heat of the sun to provide heat for your home. The best part about this particular heater is that it can be made easily with hardware store products and it's also pretty cheap to make the whole thing.
Solar Electric Air Heater:
The principle of this solar-powered air heater is quite simple. The solar panel will collect the sun's energy and convert it into electricity, and then send it to the fan and the heater. The heater and the fan (and the small fan on the solar panel) work together to pull out all the hot air from your room, and then push it back into your room with filtered fresh air. The idea for the solar air heater came from a lady who had no electricity and wanted to be more efficient. The concept of the solar air heater is very easy and everything you need to make your own solar air heater is here on Instructables.
The solar-powered air heater can be used in a garage, a workshop, a room of your house, or any place you have low humidity and cold temperatures. This solar heater works great with small households or for hobbies. Use this system to help warm up your workshop or garage. Have you ever wanted to make your own solar heater? The project can be done cheaply, mostly because of the hot weather. Thanks to the amazing power of solar energy, this 12 Volt solar-powered air heater is one of the simplest DIY projects around! And reasonably, don't forget that winter is coming!
Pop Can Solar Air Heater:
This air heater is a great way to bring up the heat in your home without costing too much money. It places heat directly on the windows, warming the windows as well as objects near them. The pop can solar air heater is pretty easy to build. You can use your old storm windows or just buy new ones, depending on your circumstances. Another method would be to get some Plexiglas and make a window similar to the original design. Plexiglas has the benefit of being stronger.
You get 4 pop cans worth of flattened by aluminum, which is used to make the frame for each radiator. To bend the aluminum, use a thick rubber mallet, not a regular hammer because you might dent it. With a few hours a day of sun, a solar air heater will heat a basement up to 20 degrees warmer during the winter. It's also efficient, will cost you $0 to heat, and when the sun doesn't shine, just turn on the furnace. There are several reasons why to build this heater. Non-obligatory reasons include saving money (heating your home), especially if you get energy credits, saving energy (saving for future generations), and helping the environment (reducing CO2 emissions too).
Free-Standing Solar Air Heater:
If you want to take your solar energy needs to the next level, or if you’re handy with tools, the free-standing heater is right for you. This option is built for large homes and takes a little more work to assemble. It operates on a fan that circulates heated air around your home. An automatic timer turns on the solar heater whenever there’s the sun. Constructed for durability and ease of use, the Free-Standing Solar Air Heater is a great option for individuals with basic do-it-yourself skills and handy tools. This free-standing solar heater is constructed from durable material and has a high-temperature resistance that makes it perfect for heating up to 400 square feet of living space without sun and is able to heat up to 127 degrees Fahrenheit with the sun.
This quiet and completely automatic system uses a fan to circulate air around your home or business without causing excessive heat buildup. The three heat settings can be adjusted to meet your needs, and the convenient timer turns off the unit. It has a durable, powder-coated 26 gauge steel construction that resists corrosion. Its durable galvanized zinc roof can withstand hail and high winds and comes with a pre-drilled hole cover. Its stirrup feet are adjustable to accommodate sloped ground or flat surfaces. It operates by means of electricity or thermostat control. A rain cap helps keep it safe from rain, even though it produces hot air.
Solar-Thermal Direct-Air Heater:
If you've ever thought about adding a heater to your farmhouse, but wanted to stay anti-electric... we might have something for you! This solar-powered, frost-free direct-air heater is designed to work in uninsulated or minimally insulated outbuildings. Take solar-thermal heaters to the next level by building your own. With this plan, you'll get a great understanding of how heat transfer works for this type of DIY solar air heater. This plan for a solar air heater with a direct-air collector is an easy-to-follow DIY project.
Just install clear polycarbonate sheeting in front of your air intake vent, mount the openable cover to the heat sink with the foam gasket, fill it up with water, and light up your room with heat that’s free for the taking! If you have a sunny spot on your property, turn it into something useful by mounting a direct-air solar heater there. This self-contained unit relies on the sun’s heat to warm either water or air inside and then push that warmth into your house through a venting system that will need to be installed in the wall. The heater’s large surface area can withstand climes well below freezing and still work effectively, and though few screws and nails are needed, the right materials must be in place.
Just take few supplies your hands such as:
- Clear polycarbonate
- Foam gasket
- Silicon
- Tin duct
- Caulking
- Black enamel paint
- Hardware (nails, screws)
- Box fan
- Differential thermostat
- Socket
Find the complete DIY hack here.