The social home for 260 people with mental disabilities in Tordas invested in a solar collector system for its warm water supply in 2004. The idea for the project was born after studying a solar collector displayed for demonstration purposes in the town. The solar energy is utilized by a 64m² solar collector surface, which produces an annual amount of 155 GJ heat energy. This amount usually satisfies the warm water demand of the main building for bathing (200 people).

The owner of the social home is the Municipality of Budapest; the contractor for the investment was the Naplopó Ltd., an expert in solar heating systems.

TECHNOLOGY

The warm water is heated by 32 Heliostar solar collectors type 300 N2L, which are integrated at an angle of 45 degrees into the south-east oriented roof. The heating system furthermore includes 2 storage tanks of
1 000 litres placed in the boiler room in the attic as well as the piping, a heat exchanger and measuring and safety equipment.

The system operates with two circuits; the primary circuit is filled with a heat-transfer fluid while the secondary circuit uses water. Regulated by HC-2 type microprocessors, the system operates fully automatically and can also be used without supervision. The maximal output of the solar collectors is 45 kW and, depending on weather conditions, the 64m² surface area can produce about 43 125 kWh heat energy annually.

The biggest demand for hot water arises in winter, although the collectors operate at their lowest efficiency then. Thus in winter it is not possible to achieve a high level of efficiency, whilst during the rest of the year the capacity utilization is mostly 100%.

The building is heated primarily with natural gas heat modules, so the solar collectors help to reduce the amount of natural gas consumed.

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ECONOMIC ASPECTS

The investment amounted to EUR 30 000 (HUF 7 500 000), of which 30% was covered with State support from the National Energy Saving Program, whilst the remainder was financed by the social home’s own resources. On the basis of the heat produced annually, the payback period of the investment is 7-12 years. The expected life time of the technology is 20-25 years which, with proper maintenance, can even be prolonged.

The social home succeeded in decreasing its expenses by approx. EUR 3 200 per year due to the investment which is a great relief for the institution, in a difficult financial situation. The savings are achieved by the reduced demand for natural gas.

As the solar collectors are placed on a roof which cannot be seen from the street, no authorization was needed for the installation.

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SOCIAL EFFECTS

The system was installed and put in operation by experts of Naplopó Ltd. As the system is fully automatic, no personnel are needed for running it. The maintenance can be fulfilled by the maintenance engineers of the social home with the help of the instruction manual.
The social home has welcomed several visitors and groups interested in the new solar collector heating system. The contractor uses the investment as a reference.

ENVIROMENTAL EFFECTS

Due to the solar energy investment the use of natural gas for heating can be reduced by approx.
10 000 m³ annually. Thus with environmentally friendly water heating the institution achieves a significant saving in greenhouse gas emissions.

DIFFICULTIES, PROBLEMS

No serious problems occurred while realizing the investment. At that time not only the possibilities for financial support from the State were favourable, but also the social home (i.e. the Municipality of Budapest) was in a better financial situation. Since then the conditions have changed so the improvement and expansion of the investment have had to be postponed indefinitely.

FOLLOW UP

In the near future the automatic control system will need some improvement. In addition, through the installation of measuring meters for the heat demand, the management would like to gain a better overview of the heat energy produced and consumed. 200 out of the 260 clients of the social home live in the main building and at present only their warm water supply is heated by solar energy. There are plans to install (as soon as conditions will allow it) further solar collectors on the roofs of 4 additional houses (accommodating 15 people each). Furthermore the management would also like to supply the heat for the laundry and the kitchens situated in the main building by solar collectors.
Besides solar energy, the management has thought of utilizing other kinds of renewable energy sources for the social home, e.g. by installing a small wind turbine or a pellet oven. These ideas need to be assessed in depth in the future.

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FURTHER INFORMATION

Social Home of the Municipality of Budapest for Mentally Disabled
2463 Tordas
Gesztenyés út 1.

Contact: Szénási Zoltán
Tel: +36 22 467 199, +36 22 467 200
E-mail: info@minosegtordas.hu
Web: www.minosegtordas.hu

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