subject: A Solar Hot Water System Can be an Inexpensive Way to Go Solar [print this page] Author: Michael Wilson Author: Michael Wilson
If the high cost of solar panels has discouraged you from going solar, you owe it to yourself to at least consider a solar hot water system. One of the most simple and least expensive ways to use solar energy is to heat water. Home water heaters are one of the biggest sources of energy use in a home. At the same time heating water is also one of the most efficient and simple ways to use solar energy. Since the sun's energy directly heats the water it's more efficient than trying to convert sunlight to electricity and then have to store it somehow. Unlike photovoltaics that require more expensive complex components, you can heat water with simple and inexpensive components. If you leave a hose laying out in the sun you have probably noticed the water inside can get hot pretty fast. That is how simple it is to heat water with the sun. You can buy a solar hot water system for a few hundred dollars or up to $1000 or more. When you consider what an average household pays every month to heat their water, the cost of asolar hot water system is a bargain. But a solar hot water heater doesn't have to cost that much. You can build one yourself for less than $100. That's for a well designed efficient one that will last many years or decades. Or you can build a crude one with parts you can probably pick up free if you know where to look. In the hot summer months a solar water system can produce an excess of free hot water that can be used to heat a pool, wash your car, and many plants respond well to warm water. Try watering your garden with warm (not hot) water and see how well it responds. With free heated water the possibilities are open. Whether you are interested in saving money, helping the environment, using renewable energy or just doing the right thing, solar energy is a good choice and a solar hot water system is a good low cost place to start. Learn more about solar water heaters, where to buy them and how to build them yourself.About the Author:
