Are you considering installing a solar water heater for your home? Solar heaters offer many benefits, but there are some disadvantages as well. Find out if a solar heater is right for your home.

How solar water heaters work?

Solar water heaters work pretty much the same way as any other solar powered device. Solar panels installed on your roof capture heat from the sun, than it is converted into electrical energy. The energy is stored in special batteries and the power is used as it is needed.

Quite often your hot water tank will be on the roof too, to minimize the energy loss. But solar power can be used for instant tankless water heaters as well, as for ones with a tank.

Pros and cons of a solar water heater

Advantages are obvious – solar energy doesn’t cost you anything, so you will be pleased to discover how much your energy bills go down with the installation of a solar heater. Another thing some people might not think about straight away is environmental issues. Using energy from the sun is environmentally friendly, so not only solar heater will save you money, but you will help to save our planet.

The main drawback of a solar water heater is its initial cost. In the past few years the prices on solar heaters went down, but they are still pretty expensive. Another disadvantage is that if there is much snow in your aria, the panels will end up under a pile of snow and won’t work. So you will have to remove the snow build up in order for the solar panels to work properly. To avoid this you can add solar-powered heating strips to melt the snow.

How to choose the right solar system for your home

Solar panels will be installed on the roof of your house. Usually on the side facing south. Luckily the panels come in a variety of colors to fit with the design of your home. You can also find many configurations to help stay within your budget.

One way to get a solar water heater, despite its high price is by starting small to reduce a portion of your water heating bills. Then you can add panels as you can afford to. How big a heater do you need? That depends on the size of your family and your hot water consumption. Generally speaking one gallon of water storage for every square foot of collector area works best. Another thing to keep in mind when installing a solar heater is that a path from the collectors to the hot water tank should be no more than 40 feet.

You won’t need a new water tank, unless it is too small for your family. In this case an additional tank can be used. Usually for a 50-gallon water tank 40 square feet of solar panels will be sufficient.

Solar water heaters are becoming increasingly popular these days, because more and more people want to use the energy of the sun instead of electricity or gas. If you get a solar heater for your place, it will eventually save you a great deal.