[Strawbale] Chinese-made evacuated tube collectors and boilers vs. hot water heaters

[peggy dinah]

this is the first time i am replying to a posting here
and i'm not sure if i've done it correctly, but here
goes: my name is peggy frith, i teach and consult in
earthen plasters, paint, clay and bale building etc.
in british columbia (kootenays). i am exploring
heating systems for my new farm/natural building
demonstration site. ok:

david wrote:

Furthermore, there are some that are surprisingly
affordable--such as
the Chinese-made evacuated tube collectors that have
been as low as
$800 or so for a reasonably-sized unit. It is not
difficult to create
a setup that has an incomparable lifecycle cost where
there is
sufficient sunlight year-round.

can you elaborate on this? what brand? could it be
tied into a boiler for cloudy day back up? 

also, the list has been talking about using hot water
heaters to heat floors and radiators. my friend
wolfgang is a plumber and heating contractor who
specialized in radiators during his apprenticeship in
germany. he says that using a hot water heater for in
floor heating or radiators is very inefficient. he
says that i should use a boiler. can anyone speak to
that?

thank you, peggy
peggydinah at yahoo.com

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