Solar water heaters use solar panels to collect heat from the sun’s rays and transform it into household hot water, both new construction and existing homes can benefit from using this eco-friendly option. They’re available both as an offset to electric usage as well as natural gas consumption.
There are various factors that determine if a home would make an excellent candidate for installing a solar water heater; one being its solar resource compared with system costs: National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s maps illustrate this effectively to show exactly how much energy must be offset using renewable technologies before cost effectiveness can become cost effective for any given location.
Guide to choose solar water heater:
Climate is important:
Climate plays an essential role when considering solar water heater efficiency. In colder regions, an indirect system involving pumping non-toxic propylene glycol-water antifreeze mixture through collectors to a storage tank where it’s heated via heat exchanger is best. Warmer regions can use direct systems that heat household water directly.
Solar water heater size:
Sizing a solar water heater appropriately is also key. One common mistake is buying too large of a system; this increases installation costs and lowers efficiency, so consulting with an expert to ascertain exactly how large of an installation you require is best.
Once you’ve established the size of system you require, the next step should be taking into account other considerations, including your hot water use and any anticipated changes in your household – for instance if more people will be living there at once then your solar water heater might need to increase in size to ensure it can meet these new demands.
Cost of Solar water heater:
Consider both initial investment and operating costs when selecting a solar water heater. While initial costs might seem expensive, long-term savings typically exceed initial investments when combined with federal tax credits.
Before investing in a solar water heater, it’s advisable to investigate state and local green energy rebate programs. They could lower installation costs significantly while covering part or all of the expense for an alternative conventional water heater if applicable.
Make sure that you take note of any green-energy incentives provided by your utility company as well, such as rebates or property tax exemptions for solar water heaters.
Solar water heaters can help your household reduce electricity and natural gas usage while cutting greenhouse gases in the environment. To get started, estimate your household’s daily hot water usage by looking at its gallon capacity (found on its nameplate or yellow Energy Guide sticker), then using a sizing calculator to figure out the correct size solar water heater.
These are some useful tips to choose the solar water heater. I hope this guide helps you find the perfect solar water for your home. Stay tuned with us for more article like this.
