Overview:
Within the past several years it has become apparent that a different source of energy is going to be necessary to continue to power our world. Many different resources have been considered: wind, solar, hydro, and many more. As a group we have decided to look into what it would take for the average family to heat the water in their house using solar energy. Solar collectors are generally placed on a roof or a side of the building that gets a lot of sun, the collector is then attached to a storage tank for water to be heated. (1)
Benefits of this method:
The initial investment of buying a solar powered hot water heater is more than buying an electric or gas water heater, but saves approximately 500 dollars a year on electricity (2) so the initial investment pays for itself in approximately 2 years by cutting operating costs by approximately 90%. (5) Federal, state and local government occasionally offer grants and other incentives for a person to switch to this method of water heating. (6) Using the sun as your source of hot water means a person does not have to rely on other resources to help them. Using solar energy helps the environment because no harmful emissions come out of using this energy. (6)
Drawbacks to this method:
The cheapest solar water heater will probably run a person just over one thousand dollars plus freight shipping. (3) A cheap electric water heater, however, only costs a person a few hundred.(4) The cheaper solar water heater tanks tend to run smaller than the cheaper electric water heater tanks, causing a person to have to conserve water more carefully. (3)(4) Depending on the state, city, or even neighborhood; there are certain zoning issues that could affect the type of solar water heater a person could get, and may even prohibit someone from getting one.(1) A back-up electric or gas system is needed to ensure hot water will always be available. (5) The sun is not always shining, so this way of heating water may not be reliable in less sunny parts of the country.
What our group believes:
We believe that every family should look into using solar energy to heat their houses water. It is a source of energy that is free and renewable as long as we have the sun, and if we never have the sun then we are in more trouble than trying to heat water! We believe that it is very possible to do once grant and incentives from the government (6) and the savings after the initial investment are considered.