Hi,

      I have talked to you previously about building solar panels to generate electricity which can be used to run household appliances. However there is another important use of solar panels and that is to heat water.

Imagine having piping hot water all day long from April to September that costs you nothing. Most of use a gezer or immersion heater to heat our water during the summer and milder months rather than using the central heating system. but these pieces of equipment use a lot of electricity.

Just over three years ago I was persuaded to purchase solar panels to heat my water. I paid thousands of dollars to have two panels installed by one of the solar companies. I have to say that it was one of the best investments I have ever made in my home. I live in the South of England and I turn off my central heating at the beginning of April each year and do not turn it back on until mid september.

Throughout the intervening months I have constant hot water from my solar panels. Most importantly my electricity bill is reduced by a third, and of course I use no gas which fires my central heating boiler. The great news is that anyone can now build their own solar panel to heat water, and it won’t cost thousands of dollars.

You can purchase an instruction manual online for $37 and the components to build your system can be obtained at your local hardware store for less than $100. There is an additional benefit and that is the value of your home which will increase.

Check out now how to build your own solar hot water system