Another great reason to switch to a solar water heater is financial. According to the EESI, residential solar water heater systems cost start with 10500$ compared to electric and gas heaters. With savings in electricity or natural gas, solar water heaters pay for themselves within four to eight years. And solar water heaters last between 15 and 40 years–the same as conventional systems–so after that initial payback period is up, zero energy cost essentially means having free hot water for years to come.
What’s more, in 2005 the U.S. began offering homeowners tax credits of up to 30 percent (capped at $2,000) of the cost of installing a solar water heater. The credit is not available for swimming pool or hot tub heaters, and the system must be certified by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation.
November 23rd, 2009 at 11:42 PM
Awesome post! I have mentioned about this in one of my blog post. Anyway. People should consider it before starting doing this.