The solar water heater of today is as equally effective as water heaters powered by more conventional power sources, namely: gas and electric. A solar hot water panel can heat your home’s water to temperatures of up as much as 140° F.

There are two kinds of solar water heater – passive and active. Both collect radiant heat from the sun into a solar hot water panel, and both can serve much of any household’s hot water needs, while at the same time, both can cut back considerably on energy costs.

An active system circulates water (or other heat-transferring fluids) through a solar water pump, while a passive system circulates the liquid(s) through use of a process called natural convection.

Many factors influence how much hot water a solar water heater can provide, most particularly:

• the type and size of solar water heater used

• the climate at the site in question

• and the quality of the site as regards solar access

Whichever type of solar water heater system one uses, both utilize certain similar components, most notably: a collector and a storage tank.

The most common type of collector is a more…