Make Your Home Green, Part 3 · Nov 27, 03:27 PM
After heating and cooling, what’s the next thing in your home that consumes the most energy? It’s probably your hot water heater. Most families spend about 13% of their energy costs producing hot water. What can you do to conserve? There are some obvious things, like turn your hot water tank temperature down, take short showers, wash your clothes with cold water, install low-flow shower heads. We recommend additional measures. First, add an insulation jacket to your existing hot water heater. Second, when you replace your existing hot water heater, get the most energy efficient one you can find. Third, and most exciting, you can heat your hot water with the sun. Solar hot water panels, which typically sit on the roof, can provide 75% of your hot water needs. If you install such a system in 2007 or 2008, you can get a $2000 federal tax credit, and if you live in Maryland, a $1000 state tax credit. The expected pay-back on a solar hot water system is 7 years, which means that in 7 years, if you don’t install a solar hot water system, you will have paid for one anyway in energy charges. And our clients tell us that baths just feel better with water heated by the sun!
— Laura Campbell
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