The Solar Hot Water Heater - A Beginner's Best Friend

Building a solar hot water heater is a fantastic DIY project, especially for someone who is just starting out converting to solar power. In fact, as far as I’m concerned this is the very best project for anyone who wants to convert part or all of their home energy consumption over to solar energy.

If you are new to solar power conversions, the solar water heater is definitely the place to start. Here’s why:

1)      Limited Scope – The project has a very specific purpose which won’t overwhelm beginners. There is a very well defined end point which stays in focus throughout the project and very few steps to get hung up on.

2)      Speed - The average homeowner with average project skills can complete the entire project over a single weekend at most. Start on Saturday morning and you’ll be showering in solar heated water by Monday morning.

3)      Expense – Well, actually there is really very little expense involved. A solar water heater can go in for under $100, very impressive considering that the professionally installed versions cost well over $1000.

4)      Simplicity - No special tools are needed. Most DIY'ers have a basic understanding of plumbing and wiring connections, which is all you really need to know to get started. The parts are all readily available in your local home center.

5)      Impact – This project will have a HUGE and immediate impact on your power bill. Most people don’t realize it, but heating water usually accounts for a full 1/3 of their monthly energy expense - second only to HVAC (air conditioning and heating.

6)      Reliability - There is no need to worry about the local climate as solar water heaters are in use all over the world. The design technology has been around a lot of years and is very reliable.

7)      Educational Value – For the beginner, the solar water heater represents an excellent introduction to important solar concepts that come in quite handy when you are ready to take on larger, more complicated solar projects. Also, the immediate payback described in point 5 will provide great motivation to do so.

So with very little hassle or effort, and a small up front investment any homeowner can slash their monthly power bills by a full one-third over a single weekend. You just can’t beat those numbers. A home that usually consumes $300 worth of energy each month will now consume only $200 and realize actual savings of $1200 each year – forever.

Here is one other tips to keep in mind. Just like with any solar project, it is advisable to have a backup source in case of long cloudy periods. This doesn’t come into play too frequently because unlike some other solar applications, once the water is heated it stays pretty hot for quite a while.

Still, consumption and sunlight will differ from one location to the next so it makes good sense to always have a backup when using solar power for anything. Luckily, your backup is already in place. The homes existing water heater is more than adequate as a backup.

There is a lot of mis-information about exactly how to build and install a solar water heater. Don't fall for the claims that it can be done for $5 because it cannot. If you are going to do this project, do it right and make sure you can produce enough hot water for your entire home most of the time.