Solar Water Heaters

How good is solar energy for heating water?  We'll let the experts tell you:

“A solar water heater is one of the few things you can invest in where the value of it increases the minute you put it in, every single year you own it, because the price of natural gas can only go up, and sunshine is free.

Austria installs about forty times the amount of solar hot water heaters as California yet they have the climate of Minnesota – so solar power works wherever the sun shines … it will work in Maine, it will work in Alaska. Germany is outpacing the whole United States and it has the same amount of sunshine as Alaska. In Israel, 90% of users are taking advantage of solar water.

Solar water power makes so much sense because it is such an efficient powerhouse in terms of reducing our dependence on imported fossil fuels, and it reduces global warming pollution.  Solar water heaters should become as common as double-paned windows.”

- Environment California Research & Policy Center

“Solar water heaters with electric back-up have an energy savings of 70%-90%, with an expected lifetime of 20 years. That is the largest energy savings using a renewable energy source.”

- EnergyStar, a program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

“Solar water heating is one of the most cost-effective uses of solar energy, providing hot water for showers, dishwashers, and clothes washers. Every year, several thousands of new solar water heaters are installed worldwide … solar water heaters are designed to last many years with little maintenance.”

- Natural Resources Canada

If you enjoy hot water, want to save money and help the environment in your own way, we can help.  Scroll through this page to find what we offer.  Need more information?

Go Solar for Free Hot Water
Solar water heaters are the easiest entry into renewable energy.
February/March 2007
By Bob Ramlow 

How would you like to have free hot water for the next 40 years? That should sound pretty good — about 15 percent to 20 percent of a typical household’s energy outlay goes to make sure the “H” tap means what it says. If energy prices increase by 6 percent annually, the average family would save thousands of dollars over the coming decades by installing a solar water-heating system that supplies just 65 percent of their hot water.

I mean “free” literally. Yes, you’ll spend money up front to install the heating system, but your home equity will increase instantly, often enough to offset the cost of installation. You’ll also pay reduced utility bills — saving more money every time rates rise. Within a few years, you’ll recover the initial expense. Experts agree, a solar water heater is far and away the easiest initial investment in renewable energy. Perhaps best of all, you’ll enjoy hot baths or showers with the satisfaction of knowing the energy comes directly from the sun.