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Solar Water Heating – Practicalities of Providing Free Hot Water

Solar water heating as an idea has been around for some time. The idea is simple: use the sun's rays to heat hot water, which can be then used for bathing, heating and other hot water uses. This is not the same as solar power – using the sun's energy to generate electricity -  solar water heating is more direct, letting the sun's heat hot water directly.

The difficulty with solar water heating has always been that in countries like the UK, the only time you can generate enough hot water from the sun, tends to be the peak of summer – a time of year when you are not using that much hot water anyway.

But recent innovations in solar water heating has led to a new approach in using solar power to heat water. Rather than attempting to provide all the hot water required using the sun – an almost impossible task in Britain. Solar water heating can be used to add to the gas or electric boiler,  reducing energy consumption and lowering bills.

The solar arrays store a small volume of water that is pre-heated by the sun – even during the winter – that helps the boiler reach the optimum temperature quicker, thus using less gas/electric.

As your boiler uses less energy to heat the water before it reaches your tap, it is going to save money, and be kinder to the environment.

These zero carbon solar panel water heating systems are not too expensive. They are easily fitted and when you take the year-on-year savings into account the return on the initial investment will be surprisingly quick to achieve.

 

While the climate in the UK means we are probably a long way from being able to provide all our heat and energy needs from the sun, that does not mean we can't utilise the power to make some savings. Solar water heating system is a great eco-friendly method to help reduce bills and carbon emissions.

About the Author

Richard N Williams is interested in green innovations and writes about them. Please visit our website if you are interested in Solar water heating or other eco-friendly products

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