Solar water heaters could save $35 billion a year!

I came across this pretty interesting article from Hank Green and the guys over at Ecogeek.  Thought I'd share.

Solar water heaters are low tech. Basically, they're black pipes on panels. There's no nanotechnology, no monosilicon crystals, and no DC to AC conversion. Just run a pipe to your roof, through the panel, and then back into your house. In many parts of the US, solar water heaters can provide more than 90% of a household's water. And in all but the cloudiest climates, they can provide more than 30%.

A recent study compiled in the UK (notably, not the sunniest place on earth) has determined that the average household could save around $450 per year. Now, the numbers would certainly be slightly different for Americans, and city dwellers with less roof space might not have the same options. But even with a big chunk shaved off the top, $450 for, let's say, the 80 million American households that are ready for hot water panels, is more than $30 billion per year.

[Read the rest of the article]

For those of us that live in areas that freeze it is not quite that simple.  But There are good solutions even for us.  It is just a bit more expensive and complex. 

I am looking for a good solution in Northern Alabama.  Anyone have experience or know of a dealer?

The folks over at ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers) might be able to point you in the right direction.  Here's the link to the Northern Alabama chapter.

Solar Thermal Rules !

Solar thermal can save water as well as energy:

I have just added solar themal for water heating to my house, which is in Southern California, despite this being by far the most effective and cheapest way to take advantage of Solar energy, my guess is that less than 1% of houses around me have it installed.

But here is the next stage, I slightly oversized the system, and will now add a hot water re-circulation system to the house, this will mean that we do not have to run the hot water faucet waiting for hot water to come through. This will save over 10,000 gallons of water a year, also as a result of hot water being always available, the dishwasher will not have to re-heat water, that has already been heated in the hot water tank, but then cooled down in the pipes, therefore saving electricity as well. 

Despite all of this benefit in terms of water heating,  and water conservation, I have not heard of this being done before, and there are only Federal tax benefits, not state.  

The system should pay for itself in about 4 years.

We just have to encourage individuals to take one step forward each!                 

Kehughes - that sounds like a really fantastic system you have installed!  4 yr payback seems kinda quick for your "enhanced" system - was this new construction?   Hope it does pay back that fast - would be a good example system for others to model.  If you follow your system / utility savings for about 8 mos or a year, contact some periodicles like "Home Power Magazine" as they may want to feature your story.  Very helpful if you have before / after numbers to show the level of savings.  Take photos of process if you can.

Israel and Spain have requirements for SWH systems on new construction - Hawaii now as well has either implemented it, or the "bill" is being considered - not sure status, but the state is serious about such savings potential being an Island... 

Your right about the <1% implementation in CA.  I don't know the exact numbers, but very few folks out here use it.  I see a number in my area with Solar Water Heating for Pools... which is good, but obviously totally different - but everything to get people considering the 'concept' more main-stream is a good thing!

Solar Water Heating is very cost effecitve compared to Solar PV (sunlight to electricity) because solar water heating uses simple technology. the reason solar pv panels are associated with a high upfront cost is because of the silicon they are made up of, which is an element in high demand with supply problems. Solar Water heating just makes sense but consumers for some reason just don't care about heating their water as much as they do about generating their own electricity.