Solar Hot Water Heaters
Solar Hot Water Heaters:
Do you know what the cheapest way to heat your water is? If you said propane gas, natural gas or electric, then you would be wrong.
Heating water in your home is one of the largest energy uses, in fact using around 33% of your home’s energy consumption. Therefore one of the simplest ways to cut your greenhouse gas emissions is to install a solar hot water heater on the roof. The payback can be as little as 6 years in warmer climates and once the heater pays for itself you have free hot water from the sun!
Solar power is the most cost-efficient way to heat your water!
We are located in Australia and installed an Edwards Solar Hot water unit in 2000, it is great! The stainless steel water tank is extremely long-lasting and the whole unit has a life expectancy of around 25 years!
Great Video to Show the Power of the Sun!
Heating your water with propane gas IS expensive, especially in the winter months. The propane gas used to heat your water must be stored in an outside tank, and when your propane runs low, you must call your propane company to have them deliver more. With electric hot water heaters, your electric bill can go way up. Why not just use the power of the sun?
How Do Solar Hot Water Heaters Work?
The technology is here and it is readily available. When you use solar power to heat your water, you don’t have to call for more propane, and you will save money on your electric bill. How it works is solar panels called collectors are placed on your roof. Water is piped up to the collectors, where the power of the sun rapidly heats the water. The water is then returned to your water tank, where it waits to be used. There is a backup heating element in the water tank, so there are no worries if you go a long time without using your hot water.
Rebates
A solar hot water heating system is more expensive to install than gas or electric hot water heaters, but many companies offer a solar water heater rebate. There are also various tax credits and rebates from both federal and state governments. You can check out information on this at Energy Star.gov website. With the amount of money you save on your utility bill, a solar hot water heater will pay for itself very quickly. A regular hot water tank lasts an average of 15 years, but solar hot water systems can last up to 30 years!
Owners of solar energy to heat water have the peace of mind of knowing that they won’t fall victim to periodic rate hikes from gas and electric companies. Also, if there is a blackout since their system is powered by the sun, they will still have hot water!
Both electric and gas hot water heaters are powered by the burning of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels have energy from the sun stored in them from millions of years ago, and when fossil fuels are burned, pollution is released into the environment. Why not use the energy the sun is providing for us right now? This makes much more sense, and it is way more efficient.