Solar Home Energy Products

Solar Home Energy Products

Installing solar thermal panels can significantly reduce your energy costs.

Heating your water for your shower, kitchen and other use is often the second highest energy cost in a typical household. Using instant electric water heaters or electric hot water tanks are a great back-up when the power of the sun isn’t meeting your needs.

Solar water heater technology vs. solar PV

In 2015, the Community Energy Cooperative compared solar water heater technology to solar PV. The study concluded that the solar water heater that displaces oil water heating has significant GHG savings (22.3 tonnes), and has the highest ratio of total dollars saved to dollars invested.

Key Results

(A)
Solar
PV		(B2)
Solar Hot*
Water (oil)
Amount invested ($)$8050$8050
GHG saved (tonnes)25.8t22.3t
$ Saved / $ invested1.652.20
Net present value(+/-)++
Internal rate of return3.8%5.8%

Solar hot water and heat pumps were analyzed for displacing oil or electric heat.