Purchase a Solar Hot Water System

Solar hot water systems can be used to heat water for all your domestic needs including for showering, laundry, and general cleaning as well as to supply radiant heat to heat your house or your pool.

What You Should Know

• Solar hot water systems come in various forms. Some systems have no moving parts and are a solar assist to your regular hot water tank. Other systems can be fully integrated that both supply hot water and heat to your house.
• Most solar hot water systems have a back-up hot water heater for those winter days when the sun is not out as much.
• A solar hot water system can supply 60%–80% or more of all your hot water needs, depending on the system.

What You Can Do

Find out if your home a good candidate for a solar heating system. The efficiency of a solar water heating system depends on how much of the sun’s energy can reach it. Does your roof and it’s orientation face southeast to southwest for optimal placement of solar panels? Does it receive adequate sun exposure or will existing landscape create shade that could pose a barrier? Can your roof properly support solar panels? An excellent resource is the U.S. Department of Energy web site, which discusses solar heating systems in detail. Talking to a professional solar system installer to get these questions answered for your home is a good idea.

Learn which type of solar hot water heating system is best for your needs. There are multiple variables to consider when selecting a solar hot water heating system: active vs. passive solar systems, different types of collectors, size, cost and energy efficiency. Visit www.norcalsolar.org for more information.

Find a solar contractor. Visit www.findsolar.com to locate contractors that install solar hot water systems.

Sources: Northern California Solar Energy Association web; U.S. DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy web site; Acterra (David Coale).