FAQs on Solar Hot Water:
Quick Links:
•Domestic Hot Water
•Sunshine Solar Hot Water Systems
•Financials and Incentives
•FAQs on Photovoltaic Electric
Q: What is Domestic Hot Water?
Domestic Hot Water is the water that you use around the house or office
for everyday applications. This can include any of the following:
- Showers, Baths and Personal Grooming
- Cooking
- Cleaning Around the House
- Doing Laundry
- Washing Dishes
Q: How Much Domestic Hot Water Does the Average Home Use?
This is typically based on the number of people who live in your
household. Over the years, it has become a standard that the avareage
American uses anywhere between 20 and 25 gallons of hot water every day
for domestic purposes. Obviously, there are some people who use less,
and others who can use significantly more. But on average, this figure
works very well for most households across the United States. So, for
instance, if there are 4 people in your house, you would want a
Sunshine Solar Hot Water System that can produce between 80 and 120
gallons of hot water each day.
Q: What do I Heat My Hot Water with Now?
Most people heat their hot water with a variety of different fuel sources. The most common fuel sources include:
- Heating Oil
- Propane
- Natural Gas
- Wood
Q: How Much Money Does the Average Household Spend on Hot Water?
This is a calculation that is made using the price of your heating fuel
and how much hot water you use. You know better than anyone how much
money you spend on water heating every month and year - just by looking
at your hot water bill. Of course, most Americans find that just
heating water accounts for nearly 20% or more of their annual energy
bills. When you take Home Heating into account as well, overall heating
at your home can cost 40% or more of your annual energy bills.
Q: How Much Does a Sunshine Domestic Solar Hot Water System Cost?
This will vary depending on your hot water use. However, SunMaxx
carries a number of Pre-Packaged Solar Hot Water Systems that include
most of the major components needed for installation, and are perfectly
suited to generate enough hot water each day for households from 2 to 6
people. Typically, you will find that a SunMaxx Solar Hot Water System
for Domestic use will cost roughly $5,000 (or slightly more of less)
depending on your needs and location.
Q: Why Should I use a Sunshine Solar Hot Water System for my Domestic Hot Water?
There are many important reasons that you should use a SunMaxx Solar Hot Water System. These include:
- Sunshine Solar Hot Water Systems are good for environment, and will help maintain a healthy earth for generations to come.
- Sunshine Solar Hot Water Systems are extremely affordable, and priced hundreds of dollars lower than national competitors.
- Sunshine Solar Hot Water Systems can save your hundreds, or thousands, of dollars every year.
- Sunshine Solar Hot Water Systems are extremely efficient and cost-effective - generally our systems pay for themselves in 5-6 years OR LESS.
- You are already paying for a Solar Hot Water System - and will continue to do so - by paying a monthly hot water bill to your utility company or heating fuel provider - without any possibility of a payback.
- Sunshine Solar Hot Water Systems are SRCC Certified and Qualify for all major Federal and State Solar Incentives and Tax Credits.
Q: What Size Sunshine Solar Hot Water System do I Need?
This varies by every job and application. Here are some basic guidelines for sizing your Sunshine Solar Hot Water System:
Domestic Hot Water: The average person uses 20 gallons of hot water per day. Multiply this by the number of people who live in your home - this is the total hot water use of your household per day. Each SunMaxx 20 Evacuated Tube Solar Collector will heat approximately 40 - 50 gallons of hot water each day. You can do the math from there.
Solar Pool Heating: The typical rule of thumb is to take 50 - 100% of the area of your pool. Your total collector area for your solar pool heater should be within this range. For more information, please see our Sizing Solar Pool Heaters Page on our sister site.
Q: What is the Best Angle to Install my Sunshine Solar Collectors at?
The general rule of thumb is to install your Sunshine Solar Collectors
at your Latitude plus 15 degrees. However, if your roof's pitch falls
within 5 - 10 degrees of this measurement, you can still simply flush
mount your solar collectors to your roof without any loss of
efficiency. Additionally, there are special installation angles
designed to balance the performance of your systems between summer and
winter operation. View these instructions here.
Q: What Direction Should I Install my Sunshine Solar Collectors?
You should install your solar collectors according to the following directions:
Northern Hemisphere: Install facing South
Southern Hemisphere: Install facing NorthYou should also know that your collectors should be installed facing "True South" not "Magnetic South" - this is know as your Azimuth, and a quick search online can tell you how many degrees plus or minus you need to move from magnetic south to true south.
Q: What can Sunshine Solar Hot Water Systems be used for?
SunMaxx Solar Hot Water Systems are used across the United States and
around the world for nearly every water heating application imaginable.
Whether your application is residential, commercial, industrial,
municipal or agricultural, SunMaxx Evacuated Tube Solar Collectors and
Flat Plate Solar Collectors are perfect for the job. SunMaxx Solar Hot
Water Systems shine in systems designed for Domestic Hot Water
production, Radiant Floor and Space Heating, and Solar Pool and Spa/Hot
Tub Heating.
Q: How does Solar Hot Water Differ from PV or Solar Electricity?
PV, or Solar Electric, uses the energy trapped within sunlight to
generate an electrical charge. This charge can then be stored and used
to power any number of electronic and electric devices. Solar Hot
Water, however, is also known as Solar Thermal, and used the tremendous
energy trapped within sunlight to generate heat - this heat is then
transferred by any number of mechanisms to water. We can use that water
for nearly every hot water application - from domestic hot water use to
radiant space heating to pool/spa heating. In, fact, Solar Thermal
technology is much further advanced that PV technology today - a
typical PV panel has an efficiency of 14 - 20% where a Solar Hot Water
System has an efficiency of 80% or better - this makes Solar Hot Water
Systems one of, if not, the most cost-effective and affordable uses of
Solar Energy available today.
Q: How can I use Solar Hot Water at my Home?
There are many great ways that you can use Sunshine Solar Hot Water
Systems at your own home to save hundreds, or thousands, of dollars
every year on your heating and energy bills. Everyone uses hot water -
in fact, through showers and cleaning, the average American uses 20 -
30 gallons of hot water every day - Sunshine Solar Hot Water Systems
can offset between 60% and 80% of your domestic hot water needs.
Additionally, a Sunshine Solar Hot Water System can be designed to
provide 60% to 80% of your home heating needs - this can be done
through radiant floor heating, baseboard radiator heating, and through
forced hot air with an air-over heat exchanger. Lastly, if you have a
pool or hot tub/spa, a Sunshine Solar Hot Water System can be used to
dramatically reduce the amount of electricity, propane, gas or heating
oil that you use to heat it. Any number of these applications can save
you hundreds of dollars, or more, every year.
Q: Can Sunshine Solar Hot Water Systems be used at my Office?
Yes, you can use Sunshine Solar Hot Water Systems at your office or
other business location. In fact, any of the above residential uses can
also apply to a commercial solar hot water application.
Q: Will a Sunshine Solar Hot Water System Work on a Cloudy Day?
Yes, to an extent. SunMaxx Solar Hot Water Systems to not only work
with direct sunlight, but also with Solar Radiation. Even on cloudy
days, there is ample solar radiation, which allows SunMaxx Evacuated
Tube Solar Collectors to provide significant performance, even in these
conditions. However, the performance of the Solar Collector will be
less than it is on a bright, sunny day.
Q: Will a Sunshine Solar Hot Water System Work in the Northeast or Northwest?
Yes. For these climates, we recommend that customers use Sunshine Solar
Evacuated Tube Solar Collectors. During a significant portion of the
year in these locations, the sun is at low angles in the sky, the days
are extremely short, and the temperatures are often freezing, or barely
above. Becuase of their design, Sunshine Solar Evacuated Tube Solar
Collectors are particularly well suited for these conditions - their
unique 360 degree collection area makes them very good at capturing
sunlight at many angles, increasing the period of optimum absorption,
and their incredible freeze protection, coupled with a closed-loop
glycol system provide adequate freeze protection for all but the
harshest temperatures.
Q: What are the Components in a Sunshine Solar Hot Water System?
There are a number of significant components that are required to make
a Sunshine Solar Hot Water System operate as efficiently as possible.
These components include:
- Solar Collectors
- Solar Hot Water Storage Tank with Internal Heat Exchangers; Or, an External Heat Exchanger
- Automatic Differential Temperature Controller
- SHW Circulator Pump
- Expansion Tank (on Pressurized Closed Loop Systems)
- Other Balance of the System Components:
- Temperature and Pressure Relief Valves
- Automatic Air Bleeders
- Temperature and Pressure Gauges
- Copper Piping and/or PEX Tubing
- Connections and Other Basic Plumbing Hardware
Q: How Much Does a Sunshine Solar Hot Water System Cost?
This all depends on the size of the Sunshine Solar Hot Water System you
need, your application and the cost of installation and balance of
system components from outside sources. However, many can purchase and
install a Sunshine Solar Hot Water System for domestic hot water for a
family of 4 at under $5,000.
Q: What is a Payback Period?
Payback Periods are unique to Renewable Energy Systems. What you pay
for a Sunshine Solar Hot Water System is an investment, like investing
in the stock market - however, with Sunshine Solar Hot Water, there is
no chance that your stock will go down. Over a number of years, your
Sunshine Solar Hot Water System will save you enough money in heating
costs to completely pay for itself once or more over. The number of
years that it takes for a Sunshine Solar Hot Water System to pay for
itself is known as the Payback Period.
Q: What Will my Payback Period be?
For exact calculation, many factors must be taken into account, including:
- The price of your Sunshine Solar Hot Water System
- The Incentives that you receive
- The price of the heating fuel you are replacing
- maintenance costs over the first few years of your Sunshine Solar Hot Water System
- Any interest you may pay on a loan or mortgage used to purchase your Sunshine Solar Hot Water System
- Typically, however, most Sunshine Customers find that their Sunshine Solar Hot Water Systems pay for themselves within 3 - 6 years.
Q: Are There any Costs Beyond my Solar Hot Water System that I Will Have to Pay?
Yes. You must pay to have your SunMaxx Solar Hot Water System shipped
to your home or business. You must also pay for installation if you are
not installing the system yourself, and you will need to pay for the
basic plumbing hardware including pipes, valves, gauges and the like.
Q: What Certifications do Sunshine Solar Collectors Have?
SunMaxx Evacuated Tube Solar Collectors, the SunMaxx-10, the
SunMaxx-20, the SunMaxx-25 and the SunMaxx-30 are all SRCC and Solar
Keymark Certified. SunMaxx-FP Flat Plate Solar Collectors are Solar
Keymark Certified, and in the process of being SRCC Certified.
Q: What is SRCC Certification?
The SRCC is the Solar Rating & Certification Corporation. The SRCC
conducts independent testing solar hot water systems to verify that the
solar collectors can perform as advertised and meet the rigorous
climates that America has from coast to coast. Through the SRCC
Certification process, consumers can compare the performance of
different solar collectors against their competitors to find the best
investment. SRCC Certification is also the requirement that must be met
for solar collectors to be applicable for today's Federal and State
Solar Incentives and Tax Credits.
Q: What Federal Solar Incentives are Available?
The Federal Government offers an income tax credit to both commercial
and residential customers. These tax credits are contingent upon SRCC
Certification. Here are the basics of the two Federal Solar Tax Credits:
Residential: 30% Credit; $2,000 Max Incentive with a carry-over provision:
Commercial: 30% Credit, No Maximum Incentive:
State Incentives are a little harder to compile, as they vary state by state. However, a Sunshine Solar sales representative can assist you in determing the incentives available in your state. Typically, most states offer a combination of the following incentives:
- Production Credits
- Cash Rebates
- Tax Credits
- Sales Tax Exemptions
- Property Tax Increase Exemptions
Q: How do I Apply for Solar Incentives?
Generally speaking, your solar installer, dealer or your CPA or Tax
Preparer can assist you in filing the necessary paperwork.
Additionally, a Sunshine Solar sales representative can assist you with
the process.