Solar Hot Water Heaters
An increasing number of people are realizing the value – or necessity – of utilizing alternative, environmentally-friendly forms of energy, including solar power. While relatively few people worldwide have opted to live completely off the electrical power station grid, a growing number are looking at simpler, cheaper options to start out with. These include a range of lighting systems, swimming pool heating systems, and solar hot water heaters that can be used for both bathroom and kitchen water. Maybe living off-the-grid is an eventual aim for some of them, but for you, installing the best solar hot water heater you can afford could be a really great (if small) start.
In fact, if you think about it, as much as 30% of any first-world home's energy bill is due to heating water. Now think about this: a good quality solar hot water system will supply anything from between 40 and 80% of your hot water FREE (that is after you've paid for the system and installation). The rest (amounting to anything from 20 to 60%, depending on where you live and the time of year it happens to be) will come from a back-up energy source (usually electricity off the grid), for which you will have to pay the normal rates.
While it is true that the prices of good quality solar water heating systems do put a lot of people off buying them, the system will pay for itself within five to seven years.
How solar hot water heaters work
Generally solar hot-water heating systems comprise two parts:
- a solar collector of some sort (usually some kind of panel or panels) that is able to absorb energy from the sun's rays and convert it into a form of energy that we can use, and
- a storage tank that stores the water.
The sun itself doesn't generally heat the water in the storage tank, it more usually heats a special liquid (heat transfer fluid) that is found in the solar collector that has the ability to transfer the heat to the water. Because of the basic fact that the sun doesn't shine all the time (which is one of those universal problems related to solar power) – and in some parts of the world there is very little sun in the winter months – the approach is usually to have the bottom half of tank heated the solar way, with an electrical element in the top half that can be used on rainy or cloudy days, or in winter.
When it is clear that the water is not going to heat sufficiently, all you do is switch on the element so that the alternative source of energy kicks in.
Tanks that are connected to solar water heating systems are generally bigger than the normal hot water cylinders we are used to. In fact many are double the size. All the other parts of the system are much of a muchness when it comes to size.
Choice between solar and conventional
Most people who install a solar water heater do so for two reasons; to reduce the amount of energy required in the home, and to lessen the environmental burden on the planet. In other words they want to save money and go "green", because it's the right thing to do. While solar units are more expensive, many government agencies around the world are currently offering incentives to persuade people to take this route. That in itself improves the rating of generic solar units. On the negative side, you're going to have to install panels that you might feel detract from the architectural beauty of your house, and the tank will be more cumbersome to disguise.
If you do opt for solar, then review all the pros and cons carefully before making a decision on which particular make and model to buy. If possible, read reviews written by other consumers who are not directly connected to the manufacturer. Ultimately, but the best quality you can afford to avoid unnecessary problems that could result in a leak, rusting or simply poor delivery of hot water.
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