When people think about a water heater, most imagine a hot water gas heater. But this is only one type of heaters currently available on the market. Modern technology offers other varieties such as solar, electric and instant heaters. How does a gas heater stand against the modern heaters? Are there any serious reasons for you to switch to a different type of heater, or is gas still the best?

Other types of water heaters

Hot water gas heater is not your only option. There are several other heaters, you can use where gas supply is not readily available. For example electric water heater is in high demand and many people prefer electric to gas. However, gas water heaters are still the most popular and majority of people who buy heaters, buy gas water heaters.

Instant hot water heaters

A recent invention is a tankless water heater. This type of heater brings you hot water the moment you turn the tap on. As the name suggests tankless heaters have no storage tank for water, they heat it as you use it. They are also called instant heaters. This is very much appreciated by many people more…

Solar power is generated when energy is extracted from the suns rays through the use of photovoltaic cells (commonly referred to as solar cells). These cells convert photos (from the suns rays) into electricity, and this process is known as the “photovoltaic effect.”

Many people are beginning to invest in such technologies to avoid rising electricity prices and to help our environment. If every home could be fitted with solar panels, then the strain on power stations would decrease dramatically, which means we wouldn’t be left as dependable on fossil fuels as we currently are.

There are many alternatives to solar power, so why should we invest our money into solar technologies, rather than lets say, home wind turbines, or a geothermal energy system? To answer this, we shall look at the advantages and disadvantages of the technologies above.

Solar Panels:

Advantages - widely available, relatively easy to install, very significant output, a solar panel will pay for itself in two to three years, lifetime of 20 to 30 years, modern cells can harness power on cloudy days, can bring power to remote locations.

Disadvantages - costly to begin with, older technologies won’t more…

Solar power is clean power. Solar energy is the future, and the future is just about to hit you square in the face. The energy generated from the heat or light from the sun will soon power the entire world, all by itself. Solar power, also called solar energy, can be used to produce heat, light, hot water, electricity, and even cooling. It is reliable and efficient, especially now, and as time goes on it will get even better. Solar power is even evident on cloudy days, because much of the sun’s radiant energy can reach you even through the clouds. That’s why so many people get sunburned on overcast days, they play outside all day without sunblock, and end up sunburned.

Solar power is produced by using photovoltaic (PV) cells that capture the energy of the sun and convert it into electricity. The basic units of the system are solar cells, all of which are connected together into modules. Solar power is rapidly becoming the solution for many businesses and home owners who want to control the escalating cost of electricity. Global warming and generous rebates and tax incentives are in the process of ushering in the next more…

Hot water straight from the sun may sound too good to be true, but even in the UK a solar hot water system can supply you with over 50% of your hot water needs over the year (the other 50% coming from a conventional gas boiler or electric heater). With recent high energy prices, and concerns about Climate Change, more and more people are looking to take advantage of this tried and tested technology to save energy in their home.

A solar hot water system works by capturing the sun’s heat with solar panels fitted to your roof. This transfers the heat to a fluid, which in turn transfers the heat to a hot water cylinder to store the heated water during the day.

A surprisingly large amount of energy can be captured this way, even in cooler climates like the UK. Over 1000 kwh of energy is received each year in the UK on each square metre of surface. That’s about 60% of the solar radiation found at the equator. Even on cloudy days we receive energy from indirect sunlight and this energy replaces the gas or electricity that would otherwise be used to heat water. more…