Solar water heating can save money and pay large

Green-minded homeowners can continue to turn to the sky for help in coping with rising energy costs for years to come thanks to an extension of the solar tax credit program by Congress.

The law extends the benefits of residential systems under the old law for eight years. This will allow consumers to recover 30 percent of the cost of solar thermal water heating up to $2,000.

Jim Cika, product manager of solar energy of VELUX America, recommends that consumers do their duty in the various solar technologies available, as well as the review of the calculations of how solar use their homes can be. "You need a factor in the geographical location of the orientation, the solar collectors cover, the costs and tax incentives and rebates that may be available to reach a reasonable decision economically and environmentally sensitive," says Cika.

While a solar energy system usually costs more than purchasing and installing a conventional water heating system, you can save money in the long term and is much more kind to the planet.

Cika says that the cost of a star installed certified power system of your company will vary depending on the volume of heated water needed in a home. Two or three solar panels on the roofs of general collection, installs and solar hot water holding tanks are available in 80 and 120 gallon sizes. An average installation is projected at a cost of $8,000 to $11,000, with complex facilities of operation of up to $12,000.

"On average," says, "If you install a solar water heater, your water heating bills should fall from 50 to 80 per cent - is not a negligible sum if we take into account that the Department of energy says the water heating can realize from 14 to 25 per cent of the energy consumed in our homes."

According to Cika in the construction of a new home, where is wheel the cost of the system in the mortgage, homeowners can save more on your monthly energy bills that the increase in your payment for the House. "Solar heating of water provides a positive cash flow from the day of the move," he says, "that it is equivalent to give an immediate investment return".

"In the case of an installation in an existing housing in an area that has both federal and State discounts and incentives," says, "the recovery of investment can vary from three to nine years."    

There are two main solar technologies available in the market right now, solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal energy. The photovoltaic process uses the Sun to generate electricity and solar thermal power uses the Sun to heat the water. Solar thermal is often the technology of choice for homeowners for a number of reasons. Kevin Hughes, a writer of GreenBuildingElements.com, who installed a solar energy system at his home in San Francisco, explains why.

"I prefer solar thermal water, specifically hot solar, a much older technology." "It is much cheaper to install, much more efficient, and has a recovery much faster," he says.

For owners who are considering an installation, Internet offers a number of web sites that may be of help in the analysis and then with the products of location and installers. FindSolar.comand nabcep.orglist installers certified by State. Solar-rating.orglists certified manufacturers solar equipment and installers certified for VELUX drives are listed in www.veluxusa.com.

EERE. energy.gov / consumerincludes

a link to a calculator of initial costs, the annual costs of operation and determining ROI as well as a guide for the consumer of solar thermal energy, while nrel.govoffers consumer guide to photovoltaic. Federal and State taxes by geographic area credit information, is available at dsireusa.org.

Cika says the solar heating of the water represents a logical first step for homeowners who want to harness the power of the Sun, since it is a relatively simple technology compared to the generation of electricity from the Sun. "The technologies to achieve different goals", says, "but both will be paid dividends each time more to homeowners who use them now and in the future".