Solar power water heater systems can help you save money on your monthly power bills (water heating is one of the more expensive uses of electricity or gas) so why not install such a system ? This article will discuss whether it makes financial sense to install a solar water heating system in the home.

A Solar power water heater system is normally added onto the current hot water system. It is basically a method of collecting the sun's thermal energy. This is called a solar collector. It can be a flat plate collector such as a standard water tank or an evacuated tube collector. Both systems has features that increase the efficiency of absorbing heat and insulation to stop it being lost to the surrounding environment.

Water is pumped past or through the solar collector based on it's temperature. By passing through a heated source the heat is transferred to the water. From the solar collector it moves to the house plumbing or hot water cylinder.

So the saving on energy bills comes when the boiler does not have to use as much electricity or gas to heat the water up to an adequate temperature for the home. But does this cost saving justify the hassle of putting in a solar water heating system and the associated cost ?

In terms of saving money on energy bills, the first thing to consider before getting a solar system is how efficient your current system is. Many traditional hot water systems have advanced in terms of energy efficiency and insulation of heated water. Check that your current system is the best you can get in terms of energy efficiency and has adequate lagging. This can also apply to the home in general as hot water may be used provide warmth in the home. It will be wasted if most of this heat escapes because of poor insulation and draft spots.

With this established you can then consider the viability of a solar water heater system. There are five things that should be factored into your thinking :

The annual amount of hot water used by your family - Take an average over a few months or record a whole year if you have the time. If you are taking an average remember that usage may increase in colder seasons and factor this into the total.

When the hot water is used - You will get more benefit form the heated water at the peak of the sun's thermal energy (midday) than at night, however you are more likely to use it at night.

What the current heating system is and it's compatibility with the solar system.

How much the solar water system will cost - this depends on the size of the system which depends on your usage of hot water. With this said, the future should see solar systems drop in price as people become more interested in then.

The cost of traditional fossil fuels that power your current hot water system - It is almost certain that this price will rise in the future.

So it seems to make economic sense to install a solar water system in the future or even planning for the future but it is impossible to quantify the savings. What about the present though ? If you research solar power heat systems you will be given figures on the likely amount of energy that they can save. By factoring this into your annual energy usage you will arrive at the amount that can be saved on your monthly bills.