Part one of a two-part series.Should you install a solar water heater? If you own your own single-family dwelling, the answer is almost certainly “yes!” There might be a few exceptions for buildings which are shaded for much of the day, but otherwise, Maui homes generally get enough sunshine.
Everyone uses hot water; it’s the biggest part of your electric bill. Solar water heating is far cheaper than any other alternative—including gas, electric, heat pumps and tankless water heaters—over the life of the system.
You do need to have a location, preferably on your roof, where you can put up about 80 square feet of collectors facing south. If your roof is facing a little bit east or west of south, it’ll probably still work just fine. If you don’t have any south-facing roof, the solar company might build a rack to tilt your collectors to the south; this works well, though it’s not as neat an installation.
Solar water heaters “pay back” more quickly if you normally use a lot of hot water. So, they’re a better idea for families than for single-person households, but many couples and singles have also invested in solar water heating because it is the right thing to do for the ‘aina.
As we discussed in earlier columns, you can also install a solar electric (photovoltaic) system to make electricity from the sun. Put in a solar water heater first, though, to take care of your largest energy load, and then put in photovoltaics to handle as much of the rest of your household electricity as you can afford. Don’t try to heat your water with solar electricity!
In partnership with the state’s energy office, the Maui Weekly provides this feature to help Valley Isle homeowners reduce their utility bills and increase their environmental awareness. For more information, visit www.hawaii.gov/dbedt/info/energy.