Pay Hundreds, Save Thousands with a Solar Water Heater System

Sphere: Related Content


Solar energy promises to usher in a new era of energy, energy that is free for everyone in the world to use, is completely clean, and is effectively infinite in amount. Within the next century, humanity may end energy conflicts and air pollution while creating millions of new jobs to help empower all of society. While small in the scope of things, a solar water heater system is one tiny step to achieve that goal. Originally more of a novelty than anything else, solar energy is becoming commonplace, although it may still be slightly too expensive for some home owners to afford.

Deciding What's Right for You

Until solar water heater systems are within one or two hundred dollars of conventional water heaters, they likely won't see widespread appeal. Right now, you would be hard pressed to find solar water heater systems within four hundred dollars or so of conventional water heaters, although you won't find any outlandishly priced heaters either that cost thousands upon thousands of dollars. Still, the upfront cost is too much for many folks to stomach, even though they would be saving hundreds of dollars each year, and a solar water heater system would pay itself off in energy savings within three to four years. That's because these heaters use little to no electricity, depending on the model and your location geographically. You can expect to easily shave ten percent off your energy bill each month, but many folks don't have the disposable income to invest several hundred more dollars up front for one of these systems. It's a shame too because the savings over the years would add up to thousands of dollars.

However, a myriad of solar water heating devices are available beyond drinking water. A pool solar water heater uses the sun's energy to warm up your pool to a comfortable eighty plus degrees, which makes it much more enjoyable at all times of the day. How many times have you jumped into the pool after dinnertime only to find yourself freezing? A pool heater solves this problem by keeping your pool a constant temperature at absolutely no cost to your energy bill.

Everyone can benefit from a solar water heater system, unlike pool heaters which will only benefit pool owners. If you can afford the extra several hundred dollars right now, go for it! You will love the savings over time (several hundred dollars each year). You'll save money over a conventional heater within two to three years, and it will pay itself off within five to six. For new and current home owners alike, it's never too early to make the switch to a solar water heater system.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Basic Skills Used in Building a Solar Water Heater

Sphere: Related Content


For home improvement projects, many home owners opt to install the improvements themselves instead of paying somebody else to do it for them. Some do it because they want to save money. Others do it simply because they enjoy working with their hands. Regardless, if you're looking to build a solar water heater, there are bountiful options available for you to choose from. Some save more money than others, and your options are really opened up because you aren't stuck with whatever a particular company has in stock.

Basic Parts and Installation

The most basic parts required to build a solar water heater are of course the water heating tank, solar panels, and piping to connect everything together. Building a solar water heater isn't a particularly difficult endeavor, but it's more time consuming than anything. In fact, the most difficult aspect of building a solar water heater is proper positioning of the solar panels for the most efficient conversion of solar heat into usable heat. Positioning them incorrectly can result in less than optimal results or very poor results overall.

Also, be prepared to do a bit of sawing and drilling to connect the solar panels outside your home to the solar water heater system inside. As long as you have basic home improvement skills, you'll be just fine undertaking this type of project by yourself. Connect the panels and water heating tank using pipes (filling them with an antifreeze liquid if you live in an area which freezes during the winter). Also, if your solar water heater has a backup power supply, connect that to the power grid to ensure continuous operation in the case of insufficient solar rays on any particular day. Those steps are integral to building a solar water heater, although your particular kit may have slight variations and additional steps.

You can save hundreds of dollars up front by choosing to build a solar water heater yourself instead of paying a construction company to do it for you. You might also ask, “Why go through all this work when I can much more easily install a conventional water heater in less time?” A solar water heater is more environmentally friendly because it uses much less (if any) electricity, so you can easily shave ten percent or more off your energy bill. Building a solar water heater is also the smart choice for the environmentalist due to its efficiency and empowerment from renewable energy.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]