Using the sun to heat water has been used for thousands of years. It is still one of the more popular ways to use solar energy even today and the basic principle remains the same. It is simply a matter of placing water in a location where it can be exposed to the suns thermal rays. There are two common approaches to doing this. They are called the flat plate collector and batch collector systems.
Flat plate collectors are simply a series of pipes that are placed in a part of the home where there is direct sunlight (generally a south facing roof). Water is passed through the pipes and is heated by the sun in the process. The pipes are designed to take maximum advantage of the thermal heat.
A batch collector system is a water tank that has been modified to get the most out of the sun's energy. This includes black surfaces that absorb the thermal energy. The tank is located in a place that will get lots of direct sunlight and is close to the house. The roof is a popular location.
The heated water will then be passed into the regular plumbing system of the home where it can be used for showers, baths, doing the dishes or whatever else you need hot water for. Although the home will still use electricity to heat water, the solar heated water passed to the plumbing system will use less electricity than ordinary water. This can produce quite a saving on energy bills.
Purchasing and installing each system will cost a bit of money but the maintenance cost is low and the system will last anywhere from 10 to 25 years. Depending on how much hot water you use and how efficient your home is in terms of storing hot water, you could pay off the purchase and installation costs within 5 to 7 years. After that you would be saving money. You would also be doing your bit in decreasing the amount of greenhouse gases pushed into the atmosphere.
