Green Remodel Forum

How does solar hot water save energy? The solar panels heat up the water during the day while I'm at work and the children are at school and we don't use hot water for showers until evening.

Typically, water heated by a solar hot water system during the day is stored in a separate tank. The solar heated water temperature in this tank can be at 90 deg F, which is higher than water from the water main (which can be 60 deg or lower). This tank then feeds the preheated water to a convention hot water heater or a tankless water heater which heats the water to about 120 deg F or slightly higher when hot water is drawn. Using water preheated by the solar water system reduces the energy required to heat the water to the useful 120 deg.

Solar hot water is great for swimming pool. It heats the water when you need it the most. No more high heating bill in the summer. If you have a swimming pool, install one on your roof or backyard.

The problem of solar hot water is no one is home during the day. The kids are in school and we are working. By the time we are home the sun is gone in the winter. The sun is gone by the time we need hot water for bathing and running the dishwasher. I think the system is useless in the winter. That may not worth the money. It may be good if you have a pool.

I agree solar hot water isn't worth the money. The pool solar heater makes more sense. You use the pool while the sun is heating up the water. It costs about $5000 and the pay back is about 4 years. After that, the hot water used in the pool is free from the sun. A good explanation here http://greenremodelforum.com/GRF/blog/?p=217

Solar heated pool is great. I had it installed mine. The water is at least 80 degree F and comfortable. We get to use the pool more often and a month or two longer per season.

I think solar heated pool is the best way to heat your pool. However, solar hot water may not worth the money. Besides what was discussed above, having a separate solar hot water system can be expensive $7000 - 10,000. With solar panel prices came down so much in the past couple of years, adding a few more panels to your existing solar system may make more sense. That only adds a few panels not a whole solar water system makes financial and environmental sense.

As you can see, this topic is very difficult subject. Hot water in the home is a necessity, and there are great options for conserving energy. Some of those include, tankless water heaters and energy efficient models. As for pool heating, I think this is a very feasible option. Not only is a warm pool not as necessary as hot water in the home, it also allows you to limit your footprint for those extra curricular enjoyment items in our home.

Use the sun to heat the pool sounds great. Having a warm pool may attract people to spend more time in the pool in the summer time. Then people would not be spending so much time on their electronic gadget, especially those energy hog big plasma televisions.

A correctly installed solar hot water system can start saving you money straight away, while doing your bit towards a cleaner, greener planet.
Solar water heating systems include storage tanks and solar collectors.