When most people think of solar panels, they immediately conjure up an image of a roof covered in large panels that are being used to generate electricity. Even though this is by far the most common use of solar technology, there are many other solutions available for harnessing the power of the sun. Solar panels can also be used to heat the water that is used in your home and do a great job of keeping your water warm while helping you reduce the amount of energy you have to buy for your home.

There are several types of solar water heating systems available and all of them will do a great job of heating the water you use for bathing, laundry and cooking. The selection of which style of solar water heating is best for you depends largely on your location. Some of these systems only work in areas that do not have temperatures that dip below the freezing mark and others can be used anywhere in climates of all types.

The most common style of solar hot water heating system used in moderate climates consists of a few solar panels that contain a webbing of thin black pipes. The water from the home is circulated through these pipes and heated by the sun and then returned to the home to be used as hot water. The key to this system is that these solar panels have a lot of these small pipes configured into a very thin membrane that is exposed to the sun. This allows the water that passes through this membrane to be heated very quickly and used immediately. This is important since most of these solar water-heating systems have a smaller holding tank than traditional hot water heaters, and need to heat the water for immediate use. The advantage of heating water as you need it is that you won’t be wasting gas or electric keeping a reservoir tank of water heated. This is a very wasteful practice since most of the time the water is simply sitting in the tank and not being used. A lot of gas or electric will be wasted as this water is constantly being heated in the event that it needs to be used. By using a solar water-heating system, you will not only heat the water right before using it, but won’t need any gas or electric to accomplish this as long as the sun is shining.

If you live in an area that has the potential for freezing temperatures, you won’t be able to circulate your water through a solar panel directly as it will freeze in winter. To be able to use the power of the sun to heat your water you need to install a closed loop system that utilizes a heat exchanger between the panels and your water supply. In this type of system a fluid that won’t freeze is circulated through the solar panels located on your roof and this is then passed through coils inside of a tank in the basement. This tank also has the home's hot water supply line circulated through it and the heat from the solar panels is transferred to the home water as it pass through this tank. The key here is that the fluid that passes through the solar panels, down through the tank and then back up through the panels again, never comes in contact with your home's water. It is circulated through this closed loop and simply collects heat in the solar panels and then transfers this to your water supply in the tank. This type of system is very efficient and modestly priced compared with the cost of a traditional high-end water heater. The advantage of installing one of these systems instead of a traditional water heater is that they require no gas or electric to operate and can save you a substantial amount of money each year on your energy costs.