As a supplementary heat source to the central heat supply of the group of 20 bulk curing barns, solar collectors were constructed on roofs of barns with a 50 m³ hot water storage tank to provide heating for tobacco curing. The heat collectors made of vacuum tube were connected to the storage tank by pipes and pumps, and the area of heat collecting totalled 396 m². To investigate its performance, the solar hot water system was utilised to provide tobacco curing heat from 5 July-25 September during the year 2014-2015. The daily conversion efficiency of solar energy to hot water energy ranged within 65-67%. From 10 am to 2 pm per day and with sunny or partly cloudy weather, hot water with more than 75 °C could be derived from hot water storage tank to bulk curing barns. In the curing season, the curing energy provided by the solar energy in one curing season accounted for 17.66 of the total energy consumption that could be supported by the boiler hot water heating system. They can also be used for drying mushrooms and other products during the off-season. The study provides a strategy for saving energy and environmental conservation in the construction of large bulk curing barn groups by integrating solar hot water with central heaters.