Thermacraft Energy Service

At Thermacraft Solar Solutions, we specialize in the design, installation, and repair of solar hot water and radiant floor heating systems. We have been designing and installing renewable energy systems in Western North Carolina since 1988, and we are the areas oldest and most reputable renewable energy company. Our staff has over 30 years of combined installation experience, and we are NABCEP certified in Solar Thermal & PV installations. The scope of our projects ranges from 10,000 sq. ft. residences and commercial buildings to 600 sq. ft. cottages and even smaller retrofits. Each system we install is custom designed for the clients specific needs. We offer design and consultation services for solar hot water and radiant heating systems as well.  Our office is located in Asheville, NC and we service Western North Carolina and the bordering states (typically within a 2 hour radius of Asheville, but we will travel farther for certain projects). North Carolina has an abundant amount of sunshine as well as great state and local solar incentives. Take advantage of these incentives by letting the sun do your space heating. Combining radiant heat with solar water heating is a great way to lower your energy bills in the cold winter while you take advantage of the FREE hot water in the summer. Thanks for taking time to check out our website. Please contact a Thermacraft Representative to discuss the various solar and radiant options that may be available for your next project.

History

Prior to entering the renewable energy business, we constructed and plumbed several solar and conventional homes in the Brevard, NC area as well as the North Carolina Outward Bound base camp in Pisgah National Forest.  This experience gives us insight into the problems and concerns that our customers, be they contractors or homeowners, may encounter.  We have kept up with the latest developments in radiant technology as members of the Radiant Panel Association, the nations largest and oldest association devoted to radiant technology.   We are also graduates of the Wirsbo HomeComfort Team School, held at the Wirsbo headquarters.  Wirsbo is among the oldest and is the largest manufacturer of pex tubing in the world.  As a result of our Home Comfort Team status, our piping installations are guaranteed for 30 years instead of the standard 25 years. The founder of Thermacraft, Beach Barrett, started his solar career at the Mother Earth News Magazine Eco-Village research center where he taught and researched solar energy, solar design, alternative construction methods and alternative energy production.  These skills and passion led him to Progressive Energy Works where he was a solar and sun space technician, and eventually to start Thermacraft in 1988.

Our Mission

At Thermacraft, our mission is to exceed our customers expectations for each and every system we install. We use top quality products, and our customers always pay the lowest possible cost for their system.  Our highly knowledgeable staff is committed to establishing long term relationships with our customers. Thermacraft has set itself apart from our competition through our dedication & superior service after the sale.

We have been designing and installing solar water heating and radiant floor systems

since 1988 We have been designing and installing solar water heating and radiant floor systems in WNC since 1988. The best way one can maximize energy production from the sun is to combine radiant heat and solar hot water; the ROI increases with the amount of hot water used. In Our custom-built solar heating and radiant floor systems we use the highest quality components from AET, Stiebel-Eltron, Caleffi, Taco, and Grundfos, Uponor etc.  For those days when the sun cannot keep up with your heating needs, we use the most efficient and highest quality back up. Boilers from the likes of HTP (Heat Transfer Products) and Lochinvar will keep your family happy and comfortable year round. Our heating systems controls can be designed specifically for each familys needs. Which ever it may be, very basic or high tech Internet ready controls, we can accommodate. We will install a stainless steel tank to heat your familys water or a super high efficiency boiler to produce the heat to keep you and your family warm during the winter you will not be disappointed. (All of our boilers can also provide your domestic hot water. With either a stainless steel tank or tankless fashion with a combi unit, you can take advantage of the boilers high efficiency and large production of hot water.

Radiant Flooring

In a hydronic radiant floor heating system warm water is pumped through the floor thus heating it to a few degrees above the air temperature. In this way the floor itself becomes a massive radiator sending out rays of heat, much like a wood stove or a wall that has been heated by the sun, into the room. These heat rays warm the objects and people in room in a gentle, even manner. No more woolen slippers on winter mornings. No more cold toes and hot stuffy heads!  People who own radiant floor heating feel that the most important advantages are comfort and quiet operation. Radiant floor systems allow even heating throughout the whole floor, not just in localized spots. The room heats from the bottom up, warming the feet and body first. Radiant floor heating also eliminates the draft and dust problems associated with forced-air heating systems. The human body has its own hydronic heating system. Heat is distributed to the body through blood pumped from the heart. The first priority of the bodys heating system is to maintain central body core temperature. From there, blood is sent to the extremities. Since the feet are the farthest from the central body core, they are the last to get heat and the first to recognize the discomfort of a cold environment, with warm floors, youll never feel even chilly.  Even heat distribution equates with lower heating bills. With radiant floor heating, you can set the thermostat several degrees lower than normal. Radiant floor heat also radiates heat for a longer period of time than a forced air system thereby eliminating roller coaster temperature swings. Another advantage is that radiant systems do not increase the infiltration of outside air into the house structure as forced air systems generally do. Radiant floor heating also allows lower boiler temperatures allowing them to last longer (a 45 year life is not unusual).

ADVANTAGES OF RADIANT FLOOR HEAT:

Superior Comfort - Consistent, quiet, steady heat all winter long remaining near the floor where you are, there is no noise and no drafts. Beautiful wood and marble floors are even more enjoyable because they are now warm. Molds and fungus are less likely to propagate and dust is not blown into the air.  Higher Efficiency - with no wasted heat, thermostats are kept at a lower setting translating into energy savings of up to 30% over conventional forced air systems. Savings are even greater if a high-efficiency boiler is used. Decorating Freedom - because the system is encased in the floor, furnishings can be place wherever you desire without concern for impairing heat distribution or hiding unsightly heating appliances. In addition, radiant floor heating systems can be installed under any type of flooring, including wood, tile, concrete and carpet.  Increased Equity - installing radiant floor heating in your home immediately increases the value of your home, radiant floor is becoming recognized as the most desired form of heat and is routinely found in higher quality homes.

Solar Hot Water

Solar energy systems work very well in conjunction with radiant floor heat this is because radiant floor heat is a low temperature form of heat usually operating at temperatures below 120º. Solar hot water systems require a water-filled storage tank that absorbs heat from the sun via the solar collectors during the daytime and releases the heat to the house as it is needed. As a rule, the heat is absorbed during the peak sun hours of the day (10 am to 4:00 pm) and is distributed mainly at night when outdoor temperatures are the lowest. If one were to use a form of heat that requires high water temperatures (160º to 190º) such as a radiator, it would not be long into the night before the storage tank would be drawn down too low to be of any use. However, with radiant floor heat, the tank can be drawn all the way down to 120º before it is no longer useful. A further benefit is that the cooler tank will be able to absorb more heat from the sun the next day. A digital outdoor reset control can be used to further maximize solar input by regulating the supply water temperature to the lowest possible setting to still satisfy the load.       Solar energy works very well in Western North Carolina. This is because of the basic pattern of weather cycles in this part of the country. When a cold front blows in, it is usually preceded by two or three days of precipitation, then the skies clear up, the nights are very cold and the days are bright and sunny, gradually the temperatures begin to rise and conditions grow more hazy until the next cold front blows in with a bit of precipitation before it. What this boils down to is that the coldest days are usually the clearest. These are ideal conditions for solar energy.

We offer 2 types of collectors: Standard flat plate collectors that typically  come in 4x8 or 4x10 sizing  ( AET, Wagner Solar & SolarHot ) . Vacuum collectors that are 6- 7 feet high and come in widths of multiples of 3 ft. (Thermomax  & Sunda ). For storage tanks we use tanks from Heat Transfer Products, Rheem, Wagner Solar, or large diameter custom solar tanks.        Solar systems are not inexpensive - solar components, solar collectors in particular, are exposed to extreme temperature swings every day, they must also withstand rain, hail ice, extreme heat and cold , extreme wind, lightning, ultraviolet degradation and other assaults of nature and they must do this for 20 to 30 years with no deterioration. This requires specialized glass, aluminum extrusions, specially coated copper absorber plates and other carefully engineered materials and hardware.        As a rule, a 2 collector system will supply enough domestic hot water for a family of four. If the solar system is designed to also augment the heating system then even more collectors will need to be added. These additional collectors will increase the solar input in the winter time but will serve no purpose in the summertime, that is, they increase the cost of the system, but they only work part-time. This is why it is important that not too many collectors be added to a system. In a well-designed heating/solar system, solar energy provides for almost all the domestic hot water needs all year round, most of the space heating needs in the spring and fall and about half the heating requirement in the dead of winter. The rest of heating demand must be met with a backup form of heat such as a hot water boiler or waterstove.        Most residential solar systems will pay for themselves in 5 to 7 years(commercial systems even less); after that, all energy harvested by a system is free and the savings grow greater each year as the cost of energy increases. Furthermore, the state of North Carolina has one of the best solar energy support systems in the country. There is a solar center in Raleigh (ph: 1-800-NCSUN, website: ncsc.ncsu.edu   and a 35% state tax solar credit and 30% federal solar tax credit (See tax credit page for more info). If a homeowner installs a heating system with solar augmentation, the solar tax credit applies to both the solar system and the heating system.       The solar center has publications and on-line articles that address almost every aspect of solar energy. Particularly important is location and orientation of the house, the roof design, and the energy integrity of the house.        Each of our  systems are custom designed according to the individual requirements of each house and therefore pricing guidelines are not applicable.