Advances in technology, coupled with rising energy prices, are resulting in a growing interest in solar heated water systems.
“Five years ago, when oil prices hovered around $20 a barrel and the price at the pump was just above $1 a gallon, energy costs barely registered among Americans’ top concerns,” said Josh Plaisted, president of Kineo Design Group, a Berkley, Calif. based engineering and consulting company that specializes in product design and development in the solar industry.
“Today, you will find high energy costs among the top five concerns of consumers,” he said. “Whether it’s natural gas, electricity or gasoline prices, energy weighs heavily on their minds, and they are clamoring for solutions.”
According to Plaisted, homeowners can have the greatest impact on their energy costs by reconsidering how they heat their water. The average household spends about 25 percent of its home energy costs on heating water, he said. That can change dramatically when the power of the sun is used to heat water instead, Plaisted added.
In fact, solar water heating was named one of the top 10 technologies for 2007 by Housing and Urban Development’s Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing Program.
The U.S. Department of Energy, said that, “On average, if you install a solar water heater, your water heating bills should drop 50 to 80 percent. Also, because the sun is free, you’re protected from future fuel shortages and price hikes.”
VELUX America, the leading manufacturer of skylights in the United States, is introducing a solar hot water heating system, utilizing technology developed by its parent company in Denmark.
Tim Miller, president of VELUX America, said that every solar water heating system installed in this country will help to reduce the nation’s reliance on fossil fuels while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The cost to install a solar powered water heating system varies depending upon the volume of heated water required. Two to three rooftop solar collector panels will usually be installed and solar hot water holding tanks are available in 80 and 120-gallon sizes. An average installation costs around $7,500.
But, federal tax credits can help pay 30 percent, or up to $2,000, for a solar heating system and some states and utility companies offer additional support, resulting in credits that could offset up to half the cost.
This, combined with savings on home energy bills, should result in an anticipated payback period of three to seven years in most areas depending on geographic location.
The solar energy roof collectors look very much like low profile skylights and integrate well with rooflines. “Solar thermal water heating is not new to the United States – this country was the world leader in the industry following the energy crisis of the early 1980s,” according to Jim Cika, manager, solar products, for VELUX.
“However, in the mid to late 1980s, as the cost of energy suddenly sank to record lows, and American consumers were once again enjoying cheap oil, federal and state tax subsidizes for solar water heaters were eliminated and the demand for solar systems came abruptly to an end.”
While the American market for solar water heating products was collapsing, Germany, Austria and other European countries continued to focus on product innovation, Cika said.
“European countries saw what was happening in the United States in the 1980s, took the technology and continued innovating,” he said. “They made solar water heaters more energy efficient and more cost efficient. Twenty years later, Europe is a global leader in solar water heating technology, and now this technology is returning to the United States.”
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