Setting up a complete solar home power system requires considerable upfront financial outlay. However, don\’t despair! You can decrease your energy bills by 30% simply by converting to solar hot water. Solar hot water panels will cost a lot less up front, and there are often incentives to encourage home owners to switch to solar. Currently 4% of U.S. homes are using solar hot water panels to provide for their heating water needs.

Solar hot water systems cost between $200 and $5000 depending on your water heating needs. The amount of savings you make will be relative to the current cost of hot water in your location. As you know water costs are rising and so are energy costs, so it makes sense that you get a good handle on what your actual costs will be down the road.

Solar hot water panels operate on the very simple principle of natural convection, where the sun heats a \’working fluid\’ (often containing anti-freeze) that transfers heat to the water pipes. Others may heat the water directly. The simplicity of their design means that they are virtually trouble free in operation. A solar hot water panel is a closed glass (or plastic) case with black tubing (copper or PVC) that heats and circulates the water into an insulated storage tank. The heated water will continue to move into the tank as the hot water is used during the day. In cloudy conditions, or in times of high demand, the solar hot water panels can be supplemented with electrical back up.

The tubing itself is of two designs: either flat panel, or airtight tubing. While a flat thin panel glass protecting dark metal tubing is perfect for sunny climates, the evacuated tube design works best for frost prone areas. The tube is a glass structure where the air has been removed to form a vacuum, much like in double glazed windows. The airtight area protects the copper tubing in it\’s centre from changes in air temperature outside. The evacuated tube model is more often used with an internal storage tank, so that the hot water is slowly pumped into the tank . These models are also more efficient in sunny climates as there is no heat loss from the pipes or tank. An evacuated air solar hot water panel system will cost slightly more than a flat panel model.

Flat panel heaters often have a rooftop storage tank. Roof tank models are the most financially economical, and in sunny climates can be run with no auxiliary power needs. These systems, in the right climate, can reduce the energy you need for water heating by 100%!

If you are handy, you might even try to make your own hot water system like this one made from recycled PET bottles at The Ecologist, an award winning design that not only saves power, but stops plastic going to landfill. This model would work best in a warm, dry climate where frost is not an issue.

Author Bio: For more infomration of how you can go green with solar panels or other house additions to green your home, please visit our green home renovation resource.

Category: Computers and Technology
Keywords: solar power, solar energy