Shine a Light on the Benefits of a Solar Hot Water System

Although many people are familiar with using solar panels to reduce the amount of money they spend each month on electricity, not as many are familiar with solar hot water systems. These systems use the sun to heat water, reducing or eliminating the use of the traditional water heater and the fuel or electricity that it requires. This leads to reduced usage of non-renewable fuels, protecting the environment, and that is just one of the benefits of a solar hot water system.

Benefits of a Solar Hot Water System:

Lower Utility Bills: During the majority of the year, the solar hot water system preheats the water for your regular water heater, reducing the amount of time it needs to run, and during the warmer times of the year, like summer, your traditional water heater will likely not have to heat the water at all. Anytime the use of the traditional water heater is reduced, you will save money on your monthly utility bills.

Reduced Carbon Emissions: Over the lifetime of a typical water heater, it can release over 50 tons of carbon dioxide into the environment. By using a solar hot water system in combination with your traditional system, you can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide released by your standard water heater significantly.

Tax Incentives: Like many other environmentally-friendly appliances, there may be tax incentives available towards the purchase and installation of a solar hot water system from the state or federal government, which can lower your initial investment significantly.

Types of Solar Hot Water Systems:

Solar hot water systems come n several forms, including batch heaters, which use large dark-colored tanks to heat the water, flat plate collectors, which use a series of pipes in glass-faced enclosures for heating, or evacuated glass tubes, which are insulated double-wall tubes that are dark-colored absorb heat efficiently. They are available as open-loop systems, heating water directly, or closed-loop, heating an anti-freeze mixture that warms the water through a heat exchanger.

To learn more about the benefits of a solar hot water system, contact out experts at Stack Heating & Cooling.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Cleveland, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about solar hot water systems and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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