Can Solar Water Heating Really Supply All The Hot Water My Home Needs?

Solar water heating systems have been very popular all over the world for more than a decade and are able to supply all the hot water a typical home requires for free, using nothing more than sunlight. Even though these systems are a near perfect way to heat the water in your home, many homeowners are still wondering if they can completely replace the conventional water heater they have trusted for years. The simple answer is yes, and understanding why this is true requires a basic explanation of how these solar water heating systems operate.

The design of any solar water heating system starts with the solar collector that is mounted on the roof of the home. This collector is a weatherproof box that has a series of small pipes running through it that are exposed to the sun with a glass panel. The water from the home is circulated through these small pipes and is quickly heated by the sun and returned to the home. In most systems, this hot water is sent to a thermal storage tank that looks very similar to a conventional water heater. It is held there until hot water is needed in the home and then it is sent to the sink or shower needing the hot water. Most systems include a temperature sensor in the storage tank that can constantly circulate the water when needed to keep this tank hot. In the evenings, the system will divert the hot water away from the solar collector and serve up any hot water that is needed from the storage tank.

To make sure that these solar water heating systems always have an adequate supply of hot water, most of them include a small conventional heater in the storage tank that can take over when needed. This heater is used very rarely and can typically augment the solar water heating system on cloudy days or when an unusually large amount of hot water is needed in the home. Even when these backup heaters are used, they are designed to only heat the water as it is used and will be inactive most of the time. This allows you to significantly lower or even eliminate the wasted energy that a conventional hot water heater required, by simply replacing it with a solar water heating system.

These modern solar water heating systems are very flexible and allow you to install a single unit in your home for each bathroom, or connect several of them together if a large volume of water is needed for a bigger family. Most of these solar water heating systems are designed to easily replace your conventional water heater and come with adapters to utilize the existing plumbing and vents already installed. This makes the installation simple and can save you money during a conversion to a solar water heating system.

In addition to these systems costing far less than older models, they qualify for various rebates and incentives that can help you reduce the price of a solar water heating solution ever further. If you are interested in using one of these systems, contact a dealer in your area and they can help you obtain any rebates that apply.