Save Money With a Solar Hot Water System

1 / 6
Flat-plate collectors are most commonly used in residential solar hot water systems.
Flat-plate collectors are most commonly used in residential solar hot water systems.
2 / 6
Solar doesn't have to be unsightly: At Inn Serendipity, a bed-and-breakfast in Browntown, Wisconsin, three 4-by-8-foot flat-plate collectors sit comfortably on the south-facing rooftop. They provide up to 70 percent of the home's domestic hot water needs by using a solar hot water system.
Solar doesn't have to be unsightly: At Inn Serendipity, a bed-and-breakfast in Browntown, Wisconsin, three 4-by-8-foot flat-plate collectors sit comfortably on the south-facing rooftop. They provide up to 70 percent of the home's domestic hot water needs by using a solar hot water system.
3 / 6
Solar hot water systems can be used wherever the sun shines, although their efficiency depends on the amount of solar energy received.
Solar hot water systems can be used wherever the sun shines, although their efficiency depends on the amount of solar energy received.
4 / 6
The solar collectors on this home, owned by Aspen, Colorado's Community Office of Resource Efficiency, provide more than half of its domestic hot water.
The solar collectors on this home, owned by Aspen, Colorado's Community Office of Resource Efficiency, provide more than half of its domestic hot water.
5 / 6
Ten 4-by-10-foot flat-plate collectors heat a straw bale greenhouse at Inn Serendipity in Browntown, Wisconsin. The panels provide 240,000 BTUs of heat each day, heating 700 gallons of water contained in storage tanks. Coupled with R-43 straw bale walls, the solar hot water heating system keeps the greenhouse toasty warm, even in the depths of a Midwestern winter.
Ten 4-by-10-foot flat-plate collectors heat a straw bale greenhouse at Inn Serendipity in Browntown, Wisconsin. The panels provide 240,000 BTUs of heat each day, heating 700 gallons of water contained in storage tanks. Coupled with R-43 straw bale walls, the solar hot water heating system keeps the greenhouse toasty warm, even in the depths of a Midwestern winter.
6 / 6
Active, closed-loop solar hot water systems use a heat- transfer fluid, like antifreeze, to absorb heat. Pipes carry the warmed fluid to the storage tank, where a double-walled heat exchanger allows the transfer of the heat from the fluid to the stored domestic water.
Active, closed-loop solar hot water systems use a heat- transfer fluid, like antifreeze, to absorb heat. Pipes carry the warmed fluid to the storage tank, where a double-walled heat exchanger allows the transfer of the heat from the fluid to the stored domestic water.

Learn how you can save money by using a solar hot water system to cut water heating costs.

Hot water heating is one of the most efficient and
cost-effective ways of harnessing solar energy. According
to the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency
and Renewable Energy, hot water heating accounts for

  • Published on Oct 1, 2003
Comments (0) Join others in the discussion!
    Online Store Logo
    Need Help? Call 1-800-234-3368