| Solar water heaters are a cost effective way to | | | | be fuel oil or gas and are only activated if the |
| generate hot water for your home. They can cut | | | | water in the holding tank gets cooler than 50'C. |
| your water heating bills in half and significantly | | | | This combination will insure that you will always |
| reduce your carbon footprint. They can be used | | | | have hot water available. You also could go a step |
| in any climate, and the fuel they use-sunshine-is | | | | further and have a combination of solar water |
| free. The most popular uses for solar water | | | | heating combined with a wood stove that will also |
| heaters are hot water heating for radiant heating | | | | work in climates that are cooler and not use any |
| and for heated swimming pools. | | | | electricity or fossil fuels. |
| The purchase of a solar system can take about | | | | When you use solar energy the collectors are |
| 10 years to pay for itself, but by taking | | | | usually attached to the roof of the house or |
| advantage of Federal and State tax credits it can | | | | building or perhaps on the wall that faces the sun. |
| be paid for much sooner. Solar water heaters also | | | | There are instances where the collector is |
| last a lot longer than gas or electric water | | | | standing on it's own but this is unusual. The |
| heaters. In the meantime, your investment will | | | | passive system drives the fluid through the |
| pay dividends for the environment. ENERGY | | | | collector and the active system pumps the |
| STAR qualified solar water heaters can cut your | | | | working fluid through it. |
| carbon dioxide emissions in half. Installing a qualified | | | | Solar water heaters make sense both financially |
| solar water heater will reduce the load of your | | | | and environmentally. In the warmer climates, the |
| electric water heater by almost 2,500 kWh per | | | | backup energy source will be used very little and |
| year, preventing 4,000 pounds of carbon dioxide | | | | even in cooler climates the amount used is |
| from entering the atmosphere annually. This is the | | | | significantly lower than a traditional hot water |
| equivalent of not driving your car for four months | | | | heater. |
| every year! | | | | If you are interested in other sources of |
| Solar water heaters come in two different types | | | | renewable energy, check out our new book |
| of systems. One is called a pumped system and | | | | "Renewable Energy Explained." The link is in the |
| the other a compact system. Usually they will | | | | resource area. You won't regret it. It is filled with |
| both utilize a separate source of energy such as | | | | all the important information you are looking for |
| an electric heat element or they could be | | | | about renewable energy. |
| connected to a central heating system that could | | | | |