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Benefits

The Benefits of
Solar Water & Pool Heating

Choosing Solar Water Heating to augment your energy needs has never been more favorable than it is today!

Here we’ll give a brief overview of the tremendous Environmental & Economic benefits that await those that choose to make positive choices in how they live their lives.

Economic Benefits

There are many benefits to owning a solar water heater, and number one is economics. Solar water heater economics compare quite favorably with those of gas or electric water heaters.  First, the fuel is free! Once you recover the higher initial costs of a solar system through reduced or avoided energy costs (that is, lower utility bills), the majority of your required water heating energy is free! 

When you include the cost of a solar water heater in a mortgage on a new home, the system often provides a positive monthly cash flow from the first day of ownership.  The National Remodelers Association reports that adding a solar water heater to an existing home raises the resale value of the home by the entire cost of the system. You may be able to recoup your entire investment when you sell your home.

Many home owners choose  gas or electric water heaters because they are easy to install and relatively inexpensive to purchase. However, research shows that an average household with an electric water heater spends about 30% of its home energy costs on heating water. It makes economic sense to think beyond the initial purchase price and consider lifetime energy costs, or how much you will spend on energy to use the appliance over its lifetime. The Florida Solar Energy Center studied the potential savings to homeowners of common water-heating systems compared with electric water heaters. It found that solar water heaters offered the largest potential savings, with solar water-heater owners saving as much as 50% to 85% annually on their utility bills over the cost of electric water heating.
 
The cost of heating water is generally best justified by looking at the current cost of operation of a water heater.It generally works out to be approximately $300 to $400 per year depending on usage and current costs of gas and electricity.

© 2011 The Solar Collection