Posted Tuesday, October 16, 2018

The Benefits of Using Solar Water Heaters

There are numerous benefits to using solar water heaters. Of course one of the key benefits is going to be how much money one will save when it comes to their electric bills. Believe it or not, your water heating electric use will be cut in half after installing a solar water heater.

Amount of Savings

Just how much you will really save on electricity is going to depend on the weather where you happen to live. For instance, if you happen to live somewhere like the Northwest, where the sun doesn’t always shine much during a lot of the year, your savings, of course, is going to be lower than if you lived in an area that is very sunny like Arizona for example. Living in a state like Arizona or Nevada you could end up saving up to 90% on your electric bill when you use a solar water heater.

Environmental Benefits

Along with saving money, when you use a solar water heating system you will also be helping the environment. These types of systems can actually help you to cut down on pollution. You can actually lower your production of CO2 emissions by 50% when you use this type of system to heat your water. This means that you’ll reduce your personal carbon footprint by half. All the while you are also conserving on fuels that are non-renewable for different applications where there still are not able to use renewable energy at this time.

Increase Value of Homes

The benefits of having a solar water heater can also increase the value of your home or even your business. By installing one of these units you may actually end up getting back all the money that you paid for installing the system when you decide to sell your home in the future.

Main Negative

The main negative that might come with installing a solar system in your home could be the cost of doing so. Even though the sun is free, the system itself that is required to convert your hot water for your home is something that can be pretty expensive, especially if you have a professional do it for you.

It’s Actually Old Technology

Even though you might think that solar water heating sounds like it is part of the new technology of environmentally conscious appliances popping up over the past few decades, it’s not. The fact is, they’ve been around since the 1800’s. On top of that, the actual technology has been around for a lot longer than even that.

Back in 1891, Clarence Kemp patented what he called the Climax solar water heater and by the turn of that century, there were more than 1,600 homes using it.

The Cost

When it comes to the cost, you can probably expect to spend anywhere from $1,000 to $3,500 including installation. However, you can lower that by trying to install the water heater yourself. But, most professionals would advise against doing this because often there will be roof work that’s involved. If the price scares you, there are some federal and even some state financial incentives that are available for installing a solar water heater in your home. These incentives can more than likely lower the cost for you. Don’t forget, you will also end up making back this money as your electric bills start lowering.

How fast and how much of a return you will get is going to depend on where you live, the general cost of electricity in your area, and how much hot water you use. If you live in a very sunny area, don’t use a ton of hot water, you will probably make all your money back in just a few short years.

Things to Consider When Purchasing Heater

There are some things you’ll need to take into consideration when buying an installing a solar water heater.

• Temperature – If your area is very cold, it’s important that you install the right model for this type of weather. You need to know if direct heater models like batch, direct active, and thermosiphon are available in your area due to the possible risk of freezing.
• Home Orientation – If you want an efficient setup, you are going to need to have a good mounting location that has good sun exposure.
• Quality of Water – If you have really hard or acidic water, you may not be able to have an active system. This is because acidic or hard water can corrode water circulation systems. You may need to add a water filtration system as well.
• Power Requirements – It’s important to note that active systems always rely on electrically powered machines, this means they will not work if there’s a power outage
• Building Regulations – There may be areas, such as those prone to earthquakes, that may have very strict weight limits for all roof mounted items. It’s important you know what the limits are.

If you are thinking about a solar water heater for your home but you have a lot of questions or concerns, you can get all of those questions and concerns addressed when you give us a call today!