Solar Water Heater-the sun can set you free

Posted by admin on Jan 11, 2014 in Posts

Despite the fact that solar energy is “The next” form of energy and continues to advance in terms of efficiency but there is no denying the fact that it still remains costly and outside the reach of the common man. This still makes us dependent on conventional sources of energy and other alternative sources.

But the need of the hour is to decrease our carbon footprint and save our mother nature, this calls for using cleaner and greener forms of energy like solar power, wind, etc. Nonetheless a full-fledged solar power plant for your home will burn a hole in your pocket and eat up all your savings. But if one is really concerned about the preservation and sustainability of our environment, starting small and humble is always an option. This is where a solar water heater comes into the picture. A solar water heater uses direct sunlight instead of electricity to heat water and supply directly to our taps. It is the best alternative one can find as it uses zero energy and has maintenance free setup. People who blindly purchase electric water heaters never think about the costs that they will incur in the long run and how much more costly it will prove to be. Let us simplify it with a typical example.

The power rating of a traditional water heater is approx. 4500Watts
(4.5 Kilowatts). To reduce running costs, it might only be turned on for an hour daily to meet your daily needs. If we assume that the heater is used for 365 days a year, the total usage of electricity goes up to a whopping 1642.5kWH. This when multiplied with the current electricity cost, make it US$657, which in any way is a big amount for a middle class family to bathe comfortably every morning.
A solar water heater has a high initial cost, the price which can easily be provided by any nationalized bank at very low interest rates (3% to 5%), which in turn brings huge savings for your family. A solar water heater typically has a life span of more than 25 years and if properly installed doesn’t require servicing and maintenance.
Accompanying so many benefits, a solar water heater will always prove to be a good investment with cost savings for a long time. It will also aid to reduce dependency on power grids and a small reduction in the country’s carbon footprint and making earth a better, cleaner and happier place to live.