Solar Water Heaters

On average, a third of the average household's energy is put toward heating water. The use of a solar water heater can and will reduce the need for conventional water heating by about two-thirds. A solar water heater is more expensive to install than a traditional water heater, but you end up making that money back in energy savings within the first few years. This is why investing in a solar water heater is a smart and cost effective alternative to a traditional water heater.

Solar water heaters use the sun to heat either water or a heat-transfer fluid in collectors. There are three main systems which include an active system, a thermosiphon system, and a full batch system. Active systems use pumps to move the heat transfer fluid. Thermosiphon systems use a tank mounted above the collector and as the collector heats the water, it rises to the storage tank. With full batch systems, the solar collector is the water tank.

In some cases, the plumbing from a solar heater connects to a conventional water heater, which stays inactive as long as the water coming in from the solar water heater is hot or hotter than the temperature setting on the indoor water heater. If the water is not hot enough then the conventional water heater warms it up.

Similar to a traditional water heater, certain factors determine which size tank is best for your household. The size of your tank is determined by the amount of bathrooms in your house, the amount of laundry that gets done and whether or not your house has an especially large bathtub.

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