Free Solar Hot Water Heaters

The news is out.  Residential solar water heating systems now cost between $1,500 and $3,500 – compared to $150 to $450 for electric and gas heaters. Solar hot water systems are still significantly more expensive initially…  So how is that FREE?

With energy prices soaring, considering the savings in electricity or natural gas, experts report that solar water heaters now pay for themselves within 4-8 years! 

Solar water heating systems last 15 to 30 years – at least twice as long as conventional systems.   With this in mind, after the initial payback period, you can enjoy free hot water for 10 to 20 years! 

Of course, the best reason to install a solar water heater is the positive impact on the environment – no fossil or nuclear fuels are used to generate the energy to provide your home with hot water – only pure energy provided by the sun.

Conventional Water Heaters Contribute to Global Warming

Consider this: according to the University of Wisconsin’s Solar Energy Laboratory, an average four-person household with an electric water heater needs about 6,400 kilowatt hours of electricity per year to heat water for their home. 

Assuming electricity is generated by a typical power plant with an efficiency of around 30 percent; this means the average electric water heater is responsible for about 8 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually, a significant contributor to CO2 pollution – and global warming.

Let’s put this into perspective.  The average car emits about 4 tons of CO2 annually … so this means electric hot water heaters generate about twice as much CO2 as the average automobile – every year! 

So, for every solar hot water system installed, the effect is like taking two cars off the road for the life of the solar heating system.  Imagine if just 25 % of U.S. homes installed solar hot water systems … the drop in C02 emissions would be staggering.

So, what’s not to like?  Financial savings, tax credits, clean energy, saving the planet … sounds like a winning move to me.

How They Work

Solar hot water systems can be implemented as either active or passive systems.

Active Systems

Active solar water heaters generally use electrically powered pumps and other equipment to circulate water or a ‘heat-transfer fluid’ through the system.

There are three types of active systems:

1. Direct systems — these systems use pumps to circulate water through special solar heat collectors. Best suited for mild climates.
2. Indirect system — instead of pumping water through the solar collectors, these systems pump ‘heat-transfer fluids’, such as antifreeze fluid. Heat exchangers then transfer the heat from the fluid to the water.  Better for colder climates.

3.    Drainback systems — also use electric pumps to circulate water through the solar heat collectors. In this type of indirect heating system, the heated water drains into a holding tank when the pumps stop.

Both the indirect and the drainback systems work well in colder climates because they minimize the chance of freezing water by constantly circulating the water or fluid.

Passive Systems

Passive solar water heaters circulate water or a heat-transfer fluid without electric pumps or other devices. There are two basic types of passive solar water heating systems:

1. Batch heaters are very simple and have been used for years. They consist of one or more storage tanks placed in insulated boxes with their painted, or heat-absorbing sides facing the sun. Since water flow is minimal, these systems work best in warmer climates.

1. Thermosiphon systems — these systems rely on the natural process that causes warm water to rise. The system circulates water through solar heat collectors and then into a holding tank, which is located above the collector.

                                          Thermosiphon solar hot water system.

Thermosiphon systems can function effectively in colder climates due to the constant circulation of system fluids.

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