This is a longer version of an article which appeared in the print edition of the Summer 2010 Floating Homes Newsletter.
What are the Benefits?
Conventional Water Heaters Use a lot of Energy. Solar Water Heaters Save Energy.
An average four person household with an electric water heater needs about 6,400 kilowatt hours of electricity per year to heat their water. Assuming the electricity is generated by a typical power plant with an efficiency of around 30%, it means that the average electric water heater is responsible for about eight tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually, which is almost double that emitted by a typical modern automobile.
The same family of four using either a natural gas or oil-fired water heater will contribute about 2 tons of C02 emissions annually in heating their water.
Solar Water Heaters Do Not Pollute.
By investing in Solar Water Heating you will be avoiding carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxides, sulfur dioxide and the other air pollution & wastes created when your utility generates power or you burn fuel to heat your household water. You will also be doing your part to reduce this Country's dependence on foreign oil. When a Solar Water Heater replaces an Electric Water Heater, the electricity displaced over 20 years represents more than 50 tons of avoided carbon dioxide emissions alone.
Solar Thermal Advantage
Solar thermal collectors have been around almost as long as humanity. Simply put it's using the sun's energy to warm matter. Of course the technology has advanced far beyond hanging a black bag full of water in the sun. Today's systems take advantage of super absorptive coatings, vacuum technology, and super strong materials to allow us to heat water to 140 degrees even if its below freezing outside.
Solar thermal is the most efficient form of solar, up to 80% efficient (solar electric panels are about 20%), yet still the lowest cost to put on your house. If someone wants to go solar, the biggest initial impact for the lowest cost will generally be solar hot water.
Economic Benefits
Water heating can account for 30% of a households energy use. Even when you don't use hot water, a traditional hot water tank is using energy to keep it at temperature. A Solar hot water heater heats the same amount of water for a fraction of the cost. A typical solar hot water system uses less than 2% of the energy it collects to run its circulator pump and intelligent system control, while offsetting 70% of a family's traditional fuel usage for water heating. That's around a 20% lower annual utility bill.
Through fuel savings, Solar Water Heaters recover a homeowner's investment within 5-15 years depending on size, usage, location & local energy prices. After the payback period of the solar hot water heater, water heating only costs as much as maintenance of the system. Maintenance includes an inspection of the system every three years which generally includes a pH check of its antifreeze fluid and a pressure check. Solar water systems are robust, designed for a lifespan of 25 years. This means a homeowner can look forward to 10-20 years of free solar hot water.
To help offset the initial cost of investing in Solar Water there is a Federal tax credit of 30% on equipment cost & installation & some local utility companies offer addition rebates on installing solar water systems.
The initial expense of installing a solar hot water system, after incentives, $3,500.00 - $7,500.00, is still much higher than that of an electric water heater $150.00- $350.00 or a Gas Water heater $350.00 - $850.00. While their cost is much lower, electric or gas water heaters have significant annual running costs of $200.00-$500.00 because they use fuel! Certainly the cost of energy will continue to increase; historically it has been about 7% annually. The minute you invest in a Solar Hot Water System you are putting tax free equity back in your pocket & increasing the resale value of your home by $21 for every dollar saved annually by your hot water system. You may be able to recoup your entire investment when you sell your home.
Solar systems can be tailored to a family's needs, through proper site evaluation and powerful simulation software.
It is also important to consider the location of installing Solar Hot Water, as the solar collectors performance is dependent on the intensity of the sun in its location. South facing roofs are ideal because they get the most sun, but East or West can work well too. Pitch of the collector is potentially more important. The lower the pitch the more summer sun you harvest while higher pitched collectors are ideal for capturing low winter sun. Bottom line, the system needs to suit your needs, your home and your lifestyle. Have no fear there are services for site evaluation and powerful simulation programs that let people see how different variables will affect your personal site and installation, truly tailoring a system to suit you.
LONG TERM BENEFITS:
Solar water heaters offer long term benefits that go beyond simple economics. In addition to having free hot water when the system has paid for itself in reduced utility bills, you & your family will be cushioned from future fuel shortages & price increases. You will also be doing your part to reduce greenhouse gasses and helping promote meaningful energy independence for yourself and our society as a whole.
SOLAR WATER HEATERS GAINING POPULARITY:
According to the Environmental & Energy Study Institute (EESI) there are 1.5 million solar water heaters already in use U.S.A. homes & business. Solar water heaters can work in any climate & EESI estimates that 40% of all U.S. homes have sufficient access to sunlight such that 29 million additional solar water heaters could be installed right now.
For more information or if interested in a Solar Water Systems please contact:
The Solar Water Group
Bob Dickey:
360 301-5968