One of the most common questions I here is, “What is the payback period for a solar water heater?” While I do have accurate  figures from numerous case studies, it is important to realize solar panel payback can be a rather complicated calculation and each home must be analyzed individually. Whether you are installing solar PV panels or solar thermal for water heating the payback periods will depend on your specific scenario.  That being said, one could over simplify the whole solar panel payback period topic by shedding light on the fact that it actually has a payback period while fossil fuel based alternatives do not. So, whether your solar panel payback period is 3 years or 7 years…at least you have a payback.

Fossil Fuels                                               Solar Panels

-No Payback Period                                        -A Payback Period

-High Levels of CO2 Emissions                        -Almost No CO2 Emissions

-Dependence On Energy Suppliers                   -Energy Independence