Get Yourself Into Hot Water – Solar Hot Water Systems

Water heating is the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions from the average home (excluding the family car).It’s also power hungry, using up to 35% of a home’s energy.

What most people don’t realise is how inexpensive a solar hot water system is to install and to run.  The fact is, solar hot water systems generally pay for themselves within two years from installation and then the real savings start adding up.

A solar hot water system can save up to 90% of an average household’s hot water energy requirements.It can also save up to 3.4 tonnes of CO2 emissions from an average household each year.There are considerations such as location, direction of the roof and the actual system quality which will all affect the performance and efficiency, but the truth is that the sun can provide most of the energy requirements for a household’s hot water.Conventional gas or electricity sources can make up any shortfall.

The cost of electricity is growing and there is greater emphasis on finding renewable energy sources.If we consider the impact that electricity generation is having on the environment, then the case for solar power is all the more compelling.

In recent times, there have been major developments in technology for solar hot water.  Consumers now have a choice between roof or ground-mounted systems, which are suitable for any weather conditions from below freezing to the harshest desert heat.

Solar hot water can be installed anywhere, new buildings and old.  Replacing an electricity-driven hot water system is a simple process and one which is encouraged by many governments around the world.

For example, eligible property owners, landlords and tenants in Australia qualify for generous rebates from Governmenet when they replace electric hot water systems with solar ones.The Australian Government is currently offering a 600 rebate per eligible installation of solar hot water to help people reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is currently estimated that the average family can slash up to 0 off their annual energy bill by switching to solar hot water.

Since the introduction of the Government rebates, Perth solar hot water specialists, Solar MyWorld have seen a massive increase in demand.The company says people are making lifestyle adjustments to meet growing pressure to reduce their carbon footprint, and they have seen a consequent increase in demand.

The Australian Government study ‘Energy Use in the Australian Residential Sector 1986-2020′, put the projected increase in residential sector energy consumption at 56% from 1990 – 2020.  However, water heating was the only major energy use predicted to decline over the study period, mainly as a result of Government and State energy programmes.in 2002, water heating energy use reached a peak at 92.4 petajoules (PJ) and is anticipated to decline slowly to 8.5PJ by 2020.

Solar hot water is one of the most simple, yet most rewarding, lifestyle changes we can make. There are no downsides.  It is cost-effective, low-maintenance and environmentally friendly.A good quality solar energy system that has been installed by properly qualified installers should last up to 25 years.That’s a hot option!

Solar Power For Homes

Photo credit: Jimmy Joe

Solar Energy is widely understood by nearly everyone, we know that this form of energy is provided to us freely and continuously from the sun’s rays. A common trend in modern times has been the utilization of solar power for homes. You do not need to become an environmentalist to take advantage of the benefits of utilizing solar power in your home. In a most basic sense, solar energy is a clean and virtually risk free supply of continuous energy.

So why is it said that solar energy for homes “is environmentally friendly”? From a practical point of view, when a solar home energy system is installed, your electricity bills go down considerably when you compare it with power off the grid. This is obviously a very attractive advantage for a lot of people.

Solar Power used in homes, also reduces complicated, dangerous wiring. Utilizing solar lights in your garden path or other items in your home can save you heaps and are very simple to install. Modern day solar lights are equipped with light level sensors that activate the light only when the environmental light level is low and deactivates them again at dawn. You can simply install right out of the box, position them where you like and forget about them completely.

Solar Home Energy Benefits Summarized

So why is solar power in the home so beneficial and regarded so highly by so many? The following is a list of the main benefits:

Solar power is environmentally friendly. We mentioned it before and will say ait again. A solar home power system will not harm the environment. It is a clean source of energy that harnesses the continual rays of the sun. It does not cause harmful pollution like many of the more traditional sources of power.

Solar power systems for homes require very little maintenance. There are few moving parts and they do not need to be “filled up”. Once they are set up they simply sit in position gathering daylight energy, day after day, year after year.

Solar power for the home will save you a lot of money over the long term. There are two ways solar energy systems will save you power. The obvious one is that a solar panel will draw energy from the sun, which means you require less power from the traditional grid. This means you can use the power of the sun for lighting, hot water, devices in the home and much more.

The second way solar power for residential homes can help you save is to take advantage of the financial incentives provided by the federal goverment. The government is currently encouraging people to take advantage of cleaner and progressive energy systems. Quite often you can get a considerable rebate when installing a greener energy system.

As the cost of energy continues to rise, making use of solar home energy makes you less reliant on external sources of power, so in the long run your savings are likely to rise considerably. Utilizing solar power in your home as safeguards against temporary failure and power outages experienced in the grid. Problems and mishaps happen and the only way to safeguard yourself against these is by making yourself entirely independent.

Many solar energy devices are ridiculously simple to install and eliminate a lot of complicated traditional wiring schemes.

Disadvantages of Home Solar Power

While there are many great benefits to solar power systems, we can of course not simply ignore the downsides. Here are some of the most common “cons” associated with a solar home power system:

Cost

Installing a solar home energy system is expensive at first – although the price of solar cells are becoming cheaper all the time – with home solar energy you will require a considerable outlay before you start to reap the benefits of free, continual energy, but as the time passes, you will realize the cumulative effects of your power savings.

Location

Unfortunately your location will determine how effective your home solar system is in reality. Taking full advantage of solar power requires a location that directly faces the sun. The area of your roof is another factor. Solar panels typically require a large roof area on which to be mounted.

Solar Energy Devices and Other Items

Modern day devices that utilize solar power are numerous. Some solar powered devices include heaters, car ventilators, video cameras, pool purifiers, flashlights, mosquito repellers, fountain pumps and home garden lights of various designs such as solar patio lights.

How to Get Started

In the beginning of the solar era, devices were tyipcally very costly and tended to be well out of the reach of the average consumer. This explains why very few people took advantage of solar technology, as tradition forms of energy were cheaper and more practical. But now things have changed. Solar energy devices are now much cheaper and more accessable to nearly everyone. What’s more, with energy pirces on the rise and more awareness on the effect on the environment of traditional sources of energy, there is now much more incentive to utilize solar power as a viable alternative.

Not sure how to get started? Making the switch to solar power is a complex and somewhat daunting task. But you can always start with the many smaller devices on the market. Starting small places a much lower burden on you and will get you into the swing of the switch to solar power. Sometimes all it takes is a mere change in attitude to make life changing choices. Why not start today?