LAST EDITED ON Nov-07-04 AT 05:17 PM (EST)I am curious, is your hot water heater fuel oil fired as well?
I would agree with TOM6000.
Solar hot air heaters mounted on the roof can take some big flex duct, not to mention if the ducts are long it could be inefficient, like breathing through a long straw would be for us people. If there is not a closet nearby with room to spare for the supply and return ducts then it might be nescessary to run the smaller water pipes from a solar hot water heater to an air handler that use's hot water from the potable hot water heater instead. Maybe even add a second tank for increased storage.
This is why I asked about your existing hot water heater. If it is fuel oil fired as well then you could just do away with the fuel oil air heater, put an air handler in its place that use's hot water from the existing potable water heater and use the solar hot water heater as supplemental hot water.
A closed loop solar water heater system would preheat a storage tank that would in turn feed the potable water heater reducing the amount of fuel oil it use's. There are lots of options and varibles such as the age and or efficency of the two existing systems. Is it time to replace any of this equipment anyway? (I know you wrote that it is a new home but I dont know if that is brand new or new to you folks.) As you allready know, oil prices aren't going down.
Have you looked at www.kingsolar.com or talked to any local HVAC contractors with expierence in solar energy?
Let us know what you decide. One of the things I would like to see more of in this forum is what folks decide on and descriptions of there systems. Problems they may of had in the installtion, how much money it has saved them, etc. etc.. Best of luck to you all.
http://www.toolbase.org/tertiaryT.asp?DocumentID=2084&CategoryID=945