Solar power water heater systems can help to lower your energy usage and the associated costs (heating water often accounts for a large proportion of the average households energy bills) so should you install a system ? This article will set out the criteria for making this decision easier and asks if you can justify installing a solar water heating system on purely financial grounds.
A Solar power water heater system is normally added onto the current hot water system. It is basically a method of collecting the sun’s thermal energy. This is called a solar collector. It can be a flat plate collector such as a standard water tank or an evacuated tube collector. Both systems has features that increase the efficiency of absorbing heat and insulation to stop it being lost to the surrounding environment.
Water is circulated through the tank or tubing based on it’s temperature. As it passes through the tank or tubing it is heated up and is then passed to the regular boiler or plumbing system in the home.
So traditional utility supplied energy usage is reduced when it comes to heating water as the water has been already heated by the solar system. This will save on utility bills but will it save enough money to justify the time and expense required to install a solar water system in the first place ?
Before you even think about a solar water heating system check out your existing hot water system. traditional systems have developed and much emphasis has been placed on efficient hot water cylinders or boilers. You can probably save more money by ensuring that this system is efficient and has adequate lagging. This goes for the whole house too. Make sure energy is not being lost because the house has poor insulation.
With this established you can then consider the viability of a solar water heater system. There are five things that should be factored into your thinking :
What amount of heated water is used in the house annually - This may be hard to get exactly right. You will probably have to average out the total over a few months, taking into account the fluctuations in usage during the summer and winter months
When the hot water is used - You will get more benefit form the heated water at the peak of the sun’s thermal energy (midday) than at night, however you are more likely to use it at night.
What the current heating system is and it’s compatibility with the solar system.
How much the solar water system will cost - this depends on the size of the system which depends on your usage of hot water. With this said, the future should see solar systems drop in price as people become more interested in then.
The cost of the fuel you are currently using now and in the future - this seems clearcut but hard to quantify. Existing fuels like coal and gas will continue to go up in price as they become harder to find and extract. This argument forms the basis for the increased attention and championing of many renewable energy sources, including solar energy.
So it seems to make economic sense to install a solar water system in the future or even planning for the future but it is impossible to quantify the savings. What about the present though ? If you research solar power heat systems you will be given figures on the likely amount of energy that they can save. By factoring this into your annual energy usage you will arrive at the amount that can be saved on your monthly bills.
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