If you are looking for a new way to make your home more energy efficient and environmentally friendly, you may want to consider a solar hot water heater. The advantages of a solar hot water heater is that it can lower your hot water heating bill, reduce water consumption and reduce your carbon footprint at the same time. Installing a solar hot water heater is a new trend in home improvement remodeling and new home construction.

Solar hot water heaters are popular in Europe, the United States, and Asia. Using the power of the sun is relatively free and is readily available to most homes.

These solar water heaters are known as domestic solar hot water heating systems that run on the energy source that is 100% free sunlight. They have two main components that make them so efficient. They have a well-insulated storage tank, and a solar panel to collect the sun energy. The insulation around the storage tanks makes the job of heating the water easier and it keeps the water hot.

There are two main categories of solar hot water heaters, active and passive. Active solar hot water heaters use a circulating pump and a temperature control mechanism while passive solar hot water heaters don't. Active hot water heaters are best used in colder climates while in warmer climates do well with passive heaters. There are many different subcategories of solar water heaters, so it's a good idea to ask a specialist about which one is right for your home location.

The benefits of having a solar powered hot water heater are many. The first thing that the homeowner will notice is that there will be energy saving costs. Having a traditional heater will cost approximately $600 of more per year to heat sufficient water for a three bedroom home. A solar hot water heater will cost only a tenth of that cost. The main reason is that there is no cost for the energy to heat the water. This can add up to a substantial amount of money over time. The cost of maintenance, usage, and keeping of a traditional water heater is approximately $6,000 over a ten year lifespan of the heater. A solar heater only will cost approximately $8,000 over the same period.

Gas, oil and electric hot water heaters leave you at the mercy of price fluctuations as market energy costs change. Solar heaters run completely independent of any energy sources that have to be supplied by a power company. There are other benefits. During power blackouts, electric hot water heaters simply won’t work. On the other hand, solar hot water heaters will.

The best benefit of having a solar hot water heater is that you are helping keep the world a little cleaner. This form of water heater is the only one which reduces water pollution, air pollution, and even keeps the levels of greenhouse gasses at a minimum. Every time that you use a solar water heater, you are doing your share in keeping the earth clean.

See related articles:

DIY Inspection of Your Plumbing System

DIY Plumbers

DIY Plumbing Repairs

DIY Water Pipe Insulation