Solar Hot Water: Important Facts

When deciding whether or not install a solar water heating system in your home there are several points to take into account.

Aside from the environmental aspect, there is always the financial side of things. To determine the financial viability of a solar water heating system consider the following:

• The amount of hot water you use


• The system's performance


• How much solar energy available at your location, also referred to as the solar resource


• Available local financial incentives for eco-friendly solutions (there are plenty these days)


• The cost of your current heating system


• The cost of a backup heating system, should you choose to use one.


• The size of your solar water heating system. There are two parts of this: the solar collectors, and the water storage tank.

A rule of thumb for sizing the solar collectors is as follows:

• Twenty square feet for each of the first two family members.


• After that, an additional eight square feet for each additional family member, if you live in the sunbelt area of the United States.


• If you live in the Northern part of the United States, an additional twelve square feet of solar collectors per additional family member.


• For storage tanks, a rough rule of thumb is a small 60 gallon tank for 1-2 people, and a medium 80 gallon tank for 3-4 people.


• One should, of course, always check with a professional for final figures.


• Get a correct estimation of the system costss, so that you can do a comparison with your conventional water heating system and solar water heating system.


• Local building codes and regulations. Its important to know what limitations or regulations there are regarding the positioning and installing of systems, before you start the installation. This will prevent any costly changes, in case you find out about a certain regulation after you have already done the install.

All of the above points can be checked with any reputable company, and most of the information should be available in standard packages. It just helps to know what to ask for, and what points to look at, so that you can be certain to make an informed decision.