Why Solar Energy is Taking Over: The Best Solar Water Heaters

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The climate crisis burdens the minds of many. If you wonder how to help, consider that 14% of residential electricity we use to heat water, which also accounts for 7-20% of households’ energy usage (Bongungu et. al., 2022). Solar energy is one solution for our carbon-intensive economy, and for a few thousand dollars, the best solar water heaters can reduce our energy usage significantly.  

 

This benefits not just the planet, but your pocketbook as well in the form of smaller electricity bills. Let’s compare the three best solar water heating systems.  

 

The Sunbank 40-Gallon Solar Water Heater 

Sunbank designed this system to serve a household of 1-3 people, and it comes with peace of mind: a ten-year warranty. Furthermore, Sunbank is a certified brand eligible for a 30% Federal Tax Credit in the US. 

It features top-shelf efficiency, capturing 92-96% of the sun’s rays. Like a regular water heater, it uses municipal or well pressure to move water in and out of it.  

The only disadvantages of this model are the fragility of its glass vacuum tubes and potential incompatibility with local water distribution systems. This system has no moving parts and is very easy to maintain. You can purchase one directly from the company for $2,499, and you can even pay in installments. 

 

The Misol Solar Water Collector 

 

Like the Sunbank system, Misol makes this solar water heater with vacuum tubes painted black for maximum heat absorption and optimal thermal efficiency. It uses solar radiation to heat water directly, which runs inside copper pipes in the tubes, rather than generating electricity to heat water.  

One downside is it requires assembly, but the materials are very durable and survive the elements well. While this model costs less than the Sunbank system, it requires a pump to move water through it. It costs from $300-800; you can get a pump for $50, but you save a lot on installation costs.  

 

SunRain Solar Flat Plate Collector 

Rather than working with vacuum tubes, this product uses a flat plate of specially treated, tempered glass to warm the water moving through it. This collector comes in various sizes to accommodate the size of your family.   

 

Like Sunbank, this model is certified, and thus eligible for rebates or tax credits, depending on your locale. Depending on the tank size, this product costs $1000-3000. 

  

Citations 

Bongongu, J. L., Francisco, P. W., Gloss, S. L., & Stillwell, A. S. (2022). Estimating residential hot water consumption from smart electricity meter data. Environmental Research Infrastructure and Sustainability, 2(4), 1-31. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/362852449_Estimating_residential_hot_water_consumption_from_smart_electricity_meter_data 

Odogwu, C., & Blok, A. (2023, June 2). Solar Water Heaters: Everything You Need to Know. CNET. Retrieved August 17, 2023, from https://www.cnet.com/home/energy-and-utilities/solar-water-heaters-everything-you-need-to-know/ 

Flash Fiction: The Tumour

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Tadwell was expelled from the party because Marta told her friends that he tried to grab her breasts, when really, he was pointing to a button on her flaring lapels that said, "free hugs." 

 

It was raining outside, and he smirked to himself as he turned away from the party, feeling the weight of the umbrella in his hand. He pressed the button, and the plastic dome jerked away from him. He smirked because what Marta didn't know was that he had made out with Sandy in Marta's closet, pawing the warm patch between her hips as his tongue traced the contours of her teeth. 

 

He entered Mansfield Park and walked purposefully among the skeleton crew of its trees, watching the waves of water pelting the asphalt, the puddles, the waves inside of waves inside of waves. 

     

He saw the red bench as if it were an oasis in a long march across the Gobi Desert. His legs were tired, from walking, from standing tense and excited against Sandy's warm soft body, from the walk up to his father's apartment on the 29th floor because the elevators were temporarily out of service. 

 

He sat on the top of the red bench and remembered "The Red Wheelbarrow" poem he studied in his introductory lit course. "So much depends upon a red wheelbarrow beside the white chickens, in the rain." 

 

Those chickens appeared in his head now, headless and gushing blood, and this chain of thoughts led him to the tumour growing in his father's brain, filling his father's head with paranoid thoughts and hallucinations. On Wednesday, he had nearly clawed Tadwell's eyes out, thinking he had poisoned his father's apple juice.