Publications

Several countries have been using solar energy in order to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Commercial, public and residential buildings are responsible for 47.6% of the electricity consumption in Brazil. Electric water heaters are the biggest energy consumers in Brazilian dwellings, followed by refrigerators and air-conditioners. The objective of this study is to analyze the energy efficiency of a solar water heating system with electric backup to meet the different hot water demands of a single-family dwelling, comparing it with electric water heaters. The parameters of the Brazilian Labeling Program for buildings and those of the technical standard NBR 15569/2008 were considered in the dimensioning of the the solar heating system. The solar heating system was simulated using the EnergyPlus software in the climatic conditions of Viçosa, Minas Gerais. The variables analyzed included the solar fraction, the energy transferred to the solar panels, the energy stored in the storage tank and the electricity consumption of the two water heating options. The results indicated that the replacement of the electric shower by the solar heater with electric backup led to an average reduction of 70% in electricity consumption for water heating and 36% of the dwelling’s total electricity consumption.