Solar Water Heating for the Home

Technically, solar water heating means using the heat of the sun to heat water. Such heated water is mainly used for domestic purposes, but there is a fair number of solar heated water being used in various other areas too, such as offices, restaurants, markets and swimming pools. Solar water heating for the home is similar to the devices used for the same purpose in commercial areas, but its output is smaller to suit the requirements of the home. Within the US, California is one of the leading states to use solar water heating for the home. Several African countries are also going green in their requirements of heating water and unconventional resources like the free solar energy is quite helpful to them in this regard.

There are three parts to a solar water heating system for the home. These are the solar panels, which collect the heat of the sun, a heat transfer system and a hot water cylinder to store the heated water. The solar panels are fitted on the roof (south facing roofs are the best because they get maximum incident sunrays through the day) and the hot cylinder is fitted in the home. Hot cylinders may occupy a lot of space in the home, but this is a small compromise when you are using whatever resources you can for going green.

The main costs in using solar water heating for your home are for the installation. Typically, the installation will cost about $3,500 to $4,500 depending on whether or not you are using a pump system. The pump system can pull up the water to the solar panel to allow for more efficient heating, but that will increase costs and also require more maintenance. However, these solar water heating resources for going green actually allow you to save money in the long run. You will be cutting down on your water heating bills by about 90% in the summer and about 30% in the winter when the solar water heater will use an inbuilt backup system to heat water in the absence of the sun.