Solar hot water systems have been around since the 1920s. The idea of using energy from the sun to heat water has been around a lot longer than that. Ancient Egyptians designed their homes to take advantage of the heat from the sun.
Over time, the technology used to capture solar energy has advanced a great deal and today provides home owners, businesses, and large scale operations the ability to heat water using the power of the sun. This greatly minimizes the need for using electricity or natural gas to heat water.
Solar hot water systems have many positive advantages over other heating systems and are a tested and functionally proven technology. They do require maintenance to keep the systems in good running condition.
For more information about maintaining the systems
At Maui Sun Solar, we have a different approach. If your home already has system and it’s in good working condition, we recommended you keep it, maintain it, and use it for as long as possible.
If your home needs a new system, we recommend removing the old system, capping off the pipes, and adding five or more solar panels to accommodate the hot water usage of the home.
New solar PV panels have 25-40 year warranties, require no maintenance, and have no moving parts. As opposed to copper pipes and water flowing through the hot water panels that tend to leak over time, likely causing damage to your home.
It’s much more cost effective to add additional solar panels to your project rather than install a more complicated system with water running through it.
In addition, it is important that you take into account the visual impact of a traditional solar hot water system. The panels are very large, heavy, and do not go well (from an aesthetic standpoint) with a solar photovoltaic system.
For more information about solar hot water, photovoltaic solar systems, and roofing contact us at Maui Sun Solar.
