When most people think of solar power, they conjure up a mental image of a large array of solar panels mounted to a home’s roof that are being used to generate electricity. While solar power systems are by far the most popular use of solar conversion technologies, there are many other uses for the free power the sun provides.

For example there are many homeowners that use the heat from the sun to warm the water they use in their homes. These solar collecting units are mounted on the roof similar to a conventional solar panel. They contain a thin webbing of pipes that are used to circulate the water from the home through, to be warmed by the sun. This hot water is then sent back into the house where it is stored in a holding tank for later use. This technology provides an easy and cost effective way to enable the average homeowner to heat the water they need for showers or washing, with nothing more than the free power from the sun.

There are two distinct styles of solar water heating systems and the one you choose for your home depends on your climate. If you live in an area where the outside temperature never dips below freezing, you can use a direct heating system. This type of system takes the actual water that will be used in your home and circulates it through the solar webbing. When it is heated it is returned to your home to be used, or stored for later use. This is the most efficient type of solar heating system and also the least expensive to implement.

If your home is located in a region that experiences freezing temperatures for a part of the year, you will need to install an indirect heating unit. This operates in a similar way to the direct heating unit except it circulates a liquid through the webbing that won’t freeze when the temperature drops. This liquid is then sent through pipes in a holding tank that transfer their heat to your home’s water. The key with this type of system is that these two liquids never meet; the heat is simply transferred through conduction alone. While this is a slightly less efficient type of solar heating system, it still does a great job of heating the water for your home. It is a little more expensive to install because of the extra piping required, but is still less expensive than a conventional hot water heater.

Both of these types of solar water heating systems can be installed by the average homeowner in an afternoons worth of work. They do require you to mount the collection panels on the roof and then connect them to the internal plumbing for use. You can also have them installed by the company you are buying the system from if you are at all concerned about safety.

With either of these systems, it is still a good idea to have a small conventional water heater to use as a backup. There may be times where your family requires a larger quantity of water than the solar heating system can provide immediately, and it’s nice to have a backup system to use in these instances. Also, if there are a series of cloudy or rainy days the backup system can provide all of the hot water you need until the sun is once again shining.