In a couple weeks we will be shooting a series of solar water heater installation videos. These videos will give you a first hand look at a real solar water heater installation.
If you have any installation questions, details or areas of concern you would like me to address in the video…let me know and I’ll work on including them for you.
Robert Kyriakides is a big part of the solar thermal industry in the U.K. In a recent blog post he gave a great scientific answer to this common solar panel question…
Just a quick bit of advice for anyone who wants to heat their hot tub with solar. If you are considering installing a solar water heater to heat water for your house and water for your hot tub you need to know this.
The 30% federal tax credit for the cost of a solar water heater installation does not apply to heating hot tubs.
However, you can install a solar water heater with an additional heat exchanger (hot tub hookup) without connecting it to your hot tub. This would allow you to be eligible for the solar tax credit and give you the ability to connect the hot tub sometime in the future.
Many people in Maryland are making the choice to switch to a solar water heater purely for investment and energy security reasons. The fact that solar water heaters eliminate CO2 emissions is an additional bonus for many people, but not the reason they decided to install a solar thermal system.
With the stock market doing poorly and the real estate market in a tailspin opportunities for investing become more uncertain. The days of buying a house and waiting for it to double in value are over and the stock market is incredibly unstable with companies struggling to stay afloat.
Where does this leave you as an investor? Where do you put your money? Stocks, bonds, mutual funds, real estate?
Investing in energy producing assets for your home can make a lot of sense. Energy producing assets help to reduce your cost of living by eliminate fossil fuel based energy consumption. This reduces your bills and your dependence on foreign oil.
High levels of uncertainty and low returns in traditional investment vehicles makes the idea of investing in technologies that produce energy very attractive. Something to think about.
If you live in Maryland and have completed any research on solar PV (photovoltaic) for home you probably know it can be pricey. 
Now, I am a huge fan of solar PV and truly believe if you are able to make the investment you will not be disappointed but, solar thermal systems or solar water heaters will get you the most bang for your buck. If you just can’t bring yourself to make the larger investment in a solar PV system to produce electricity for your home it is definitely worth considering a solar thermal system.
Your existing water heater is likely the least efficient use of energy in your home. Solar water heaters are incredibly efficient and do an amazing job of offsetting this poor use of energy. Even if you install a complete solar PV system it is wise to install solar thermal collectors for the water heating portion of your energy usage. Solar water heaters are so efficient that is does not make sense to heat your water with electricity generated by a solar PV system.
So, if you are considering a complete solar PV system, but are concerned about the cost you really should look into starting with a solar water heater/solar thermal system. You will get the most bang for your buck and it will compliment a future solar PV installation.
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