Answering Questions Many Homeowners Have About Solar Powered Hot Water

Homeowners looking to reduce their utility bills while also reducing the amount of pollution created by electrical power plants may want to consider solar power for the home; if you cannot afford, or don't have room for, full solar panels outside the home, you might choose solar panels just for your home's hot water heater. Heating water is often one of the main uses of electricity in the home, so these solar panels can save you money and reduce your power consumption overall. Note a few questions homeowners might have about solar powered hot water so you can determine if this is the right choice for your home.

Does solar power affect the amount of water available or the water pressure in the home?

The water supply to your home and the method you use for heating it are two separate systems. Solar panels simply offer an alternative energy source for operating the hot water heater, but it doesn't slow down the flow of water or affect the water pressure in the home in any way.

Does the current hot water heater need replacing?

Solar panels are connected to the power source that is connected to the home's hot water heater; these solar panels don't hold the water and aren't water heaters themselves, but simply provide power to the hot water heating system you have installed. Rarely would you need a new hot water heater to install solar panels, and these panels can typically be used with any type of hot water heater, including gas, electric, tankless heaters, and even heat pumps.

How long does the power last?

Solar power is converted by solar panels to the type of electricity used by a home, and this electricity is then typically transferred to large batteries for storage. As with other types of batteries, these solar batteries can run low when there isn't enough sunlight to convert into electricity and store.

However, running low on solar power happen as often as you expect; your hot water heater will still have power at night, on a cloudy day, during winter, and so on. You can also take steps to prolong the life of those batteries between recharging; for example, rather than doing seven loads of laundry at once, which can then drain the batteries of power, you might do one load of laundry every day. This gives the panels time to collect and convert more sunlight in between use of the hot water heater. For more information, contact companies like Solar Repairs.

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