Local Knowledge About Passive Solar Water Heating

Through specially designed systems, energy from the sun can be used to heat water for your home. A properly designed, installed, and maintained solar water heater can meet from half to nearly all of a home's hot water demand. Two features, a collector and a storage tank, characterize most solar water heaters. Beyond these common features, solar water-heating systems can vary significantly in design. The various system designs can be classified as passive or active and as direct (also called open loop) or indirect (also called closed loop). Passive systems operate without pumps and controls and can be more reliable, more durable, easier to maintain, longer lasting, and less expensive to operate than active systems. Passive solar water-heating systems generally require conventional water heaters as backups, where the solar system functions as a preheater for the conventional unit.