Reducing Fossil Fuel Dependence With Solar Water Heating Systems
Thinking green has become a mainstream concept in recent years, as the price of fossil fuels has dramatically risen. What used to be considered abstract thinking has been exposed with the help of television shows like Planet Green and many others, and now ideas like solar water heating systems are becoming common features in your everyday American home.
There are quite a few valid reasons why you would choose to replace the conventional water heating system in your home with a solar water heating system; the first and foremost should be to help reduce the amount of carbon emissions released into the atmosphere, but if it isn’t then that is ok…because while your choice to make the switch could be to save money on the cost of electricity, or increase the value of your home, or even some other personal reason, you are in fact part of the green community that is doing its part to reduce the amount of harmful carbon emissions that are killing the environment. Solar hot water systems have really become a great way to cut costs while helping the environment. Remember to check your heat exchangers at regular intervals and if needed arrange for heat exchanger cleaning.
A typical 50 gallon electrical home water heater uses 11.1 barrels of oil a year while sitting on a conventional electrical power grid, and while some electric utility companies get some of most of their electrical energy from nuclear power plants, the use of energy from burning fossil fuels is the most common method of delivering electricity to consumers.
There are a few options in the type of solar water heating system you choose for your home, and the most common is passive solar heating. The passive heating system is easy to install, cost effective, and there are even solar heating kits for the home handyman. The basic solar water heating system consists of an array of solar panels that are mounted on the roof of your home, set at precise angles to capture and absorb the maximum amount of the suns energy. This energy can then be used as an input system that can provide electrical power for your water heaters, or the solar heating panels can be used to heat water that passes through them with a heat exchanger, and then stored in tanks for later use.
To help homeowners there are many State and Federal incentives and programs that can subsidize the initial cost of installing a solar water heat system, and depending on the type of system you use you can expect to save around $230 per year, and as energy costs rise this number will rise.
