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Solar water heaters are very old and proven technology, with roots in ancient times. Modern solar water heating collectors can capture about 85% of the available solar energy in a given area. That’s far above the ~20% harnessed by commercially available solar electric panels. A question often asked is whether someone should buy a solar water heater or a solar electric system, but the answer is not always obvious. One of the solar water heaters we sell has a rating of 12.5kWh/day. This rating is based on a particular climate and rating category (relative water temperatures). What this rating tells us is that the collector isRead More →

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FPL made an important and appreciated change to their solar rebate program for this round of funding. They said they would take applications after the funds were exhausted to put applicants on a standby list, as many customers do not go through with installations. I was surprised to see that the standby list was limited, and applications were eventually rejected. That really does not make sense, unless FPL does not really want to know how many people want rebates but cannot get one. Wouldn’t it make sense to take all applications in the order received? That way we could gauge demand and adjust the rebateRead More →

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FPL will open up the next round of solar rebate applications on October 16, 2012 at 8:30 am. Rebate applicants will need a licensed solar contractor to install their system, and are advised to contact me urgently to get an evaluation, conditional contract, and in the queue for a rebate application submission. The total funding for this round of rebates is $9 million. FPL took one of FlaSEIA’s recommendations and is allowing applications to go through once the available funds are exhausted. If successful applicants do not pursue an installation, the next applicant will be offered a rebate approval. That’s a step in the rightRead More →

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NOTE: This post is now obsolete and this site is no longer actively updated. Permit costs may be different now, and Charlotte County does now require permits for solar pool heating. Solar permitting is not a small cost in most Southwest Florida cities and counties. Typical solar pool heating permit costs range from $53 in Fort Myers to $226 in Collier County, with only one jurisdiction having no charge (Port Charlotte and Charlotte County). Solar water heating permit costs are similar. Solar electric permit costs can exceed $400.00 for typical residential solar permits in some jurisdictions like Naples, with most permit fees in the rangeRead More →

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If you’re wondering what’s best, a solar water heater or a tankless water heater, the answer may be BOTH – or NEITHER! If you have an existing gas water heater that is in good repair, you may just want to add a solar water heater with additional storage capacity. If you have an electric storage water heater, you may want to retrofit your existing tank or add additional storage with a solar tank. There is a great article about the choice between a storage and tankless water heater on the Green Building Advisor website here. You should check out this article to learn some ofRead More →

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FPL has announced that the remaining 2012 solar rebate funding will be released on May 3, 2012 for solar photovoltaic (electric) and solar water heating systems. If you want any chance of getting in on the best solar rebate in Florida history, you need to act NOW. Call your favorite solar contractor and they will walk you through the application process. Because the rebates are highly competitive and the amount available will be very limited, it is likely that the funding will run out in the first 10 minutes. The online application process requires advance planning and detailed information about the system you intend toRead More →

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I recently set up a Wattvision meter on my Fort Myers, FL home to evaluate its effectiveness. I have to say, I love it! It definitely clues you in to how much energy you are using, when you are using it, and what appliances cost to operate. The device pays for itself by identifying power hogs. For example, I cut down the time my pool lights come on each night because they were consuming 600 watts! On the other hand, I decided to run my fountain longer each day because it uses next to no energy. The charts on the Wattvision website are excellent. YouRead More →

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What does the Acronym SDHW stand for? SDHW = Solar Domestic Hot Water a.k.a Solar Water Heating, Solar Water Panels SDHW is the term used in the solar industry to describe solar water heating collectors (panels) or systems. Several types of SDHW exist, including flat plat collectors made of copper heat exchangers in aluminum and glass enclosures, heat pipe collectors with copper pipe enclosed in evacuated (vacuum) glass tubes, and polymer collectors like the Fafco Revolution SDHW system.

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Solar water heating systems obviously heat water only during the day when solar radiation is hitting the solar collector. You might realize why it is important for Solar Water Heating Systems to store water, but to what extent should this be considered? In North America, most hot water is consumed in the morning, presumably for personal hygiene. The second most water is consumed in the evening, as people clean the kitchen and prepare for bed. This creates a scenario where hot water is required at times when the most energy is not available. Much of the water stored in a tank may be exhausted inRead More →

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A solar water heating project for the Southwest Florida Affordable Housing Choice Foundation is in Cape Coral at the Coconut Apartments. Each of the two multi-tenant buildings have four dwelling units with three 2’x8′ solar water heating collectors per unit. Installation of the solar panels just started, and here’s the day one picture of the first building. Like the Broadway Apartments project, the panels are mounted on rails attached to the standing seam metal roof with non-penetrating S-5 clamps. Can you spot anything wrong with this photo?

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I’m at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Broadway Apartments affordable housing project where we have 40 solar water heating systems installed. This is the largest polymer solar collector water heating project in Florida! Solar water heating will reduce the electric bills for residents of the two-building multi-tenant property. The goal of the project is to provide affordable housing that features low utility bills in a LEED Platinum facility. The solar water heating systems were one part of the LEED criteria that allowed the Broadway Apartments to achieve Platinum status. The Southwest Florida Affordable Housing Choice Foundation reports that previous residents are already asking forRead More →

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This Port Charlotte home is being outfitted with an array of solar energy products, but this picture shows the solar water heating panels. This is a 48 square foot Fafco Revolution 500 Series Solar Water Heating system, which includes three 2’x8′ solar panels, an expansion tank, integrated circulation module, and photovoltaic module for circulation pump operation. It was retrofit the the homeowners existing electric water tank. In a power outage, like Port Charlotte experienced after past hurricanes, this homeowner will have hot water because the water in the existing electric tank will be heated by the sun using a hot transfer fluid from the solarRead More →