Solar Water Heating System Options

A solar water heating system functions to keep water warm or hot in place of an electrical or gas heater. In contrast to electrical heaters, a solar water heating system does not require constant, expensive inputs to maintain the water temperature.

A solar heater system, like most solar systems, can mean two different things: it can mean a passive solar water heating system or it can mean an active water heating system.

A passive solar water heating system does not have any moving parts; and as such, it does not require any electricity. Instead, it usually consists of a tank on the roof of a building or in a sunny spot, which is painted black, and is constructed with a heat-conducive metal. These tanks heat up to hot temperatures, which will subsequently heat the water with them. The water is then pumped into the building to be used in a number of different places, including bathrooms and kitchens.

What about an active solar water heating system? In contrast, an active solar water heating system relies on the production and storage of solar energy. Generally, the energy is produced by solar panels and then stored in a battery block, which can be used at the owner's discretion.

When the solar water heating system is in use (i.e. when it is extracting power from the batteries or directly from the panels), an electrical heating system will warm up stored water. The major advantage to this solar water heating system over a normal electrical water heating system is that it only requires you to may one significant downpayment—to purchase the equipment; once you have do that, it is essentially free for its lifetime; and likely will require little maintenance.

Whether you purchase an active solar water heating system or a passive one, you are opting to save money in the long run; in addition to that, you are also option to save scarce resources.