UPDATE: Oncor has approved their partial funding of our project, and we have scheduled installation for March 3.

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About a month ago I wrote about solar water heating, which using the sun’s energy to heat water for showers, laundry, and other household needs. Due to overly conservative tax withholding last year, we are getting a big tax refund. Hmm…what to do?

I know! Let’s install a solar water heater!

So we are. Our contractor is Innerline Plumbing in Mansfield, one of the only plumbing companies in the area that can do this type of work. Our system is a Sungrabber, an active system that uses a pump, heat exchanger, and small storage tank. As needed during the day, the system pumps a dedicated water supply up to the roof, where the sun heats it. We get “solar panels” on our roof, but they are made of black plastic tubes that absorb heat rather than photovoltaic cells that generate electricity. Then the heated water flows back down to a heat exchanger that transfers the heat to the water we actually use, which is stored in our existing water heater. When the system isn’t operating due to insufficient sunlight or freezing temperatures, the system’s dedicated water supply remains in a drainback tank inside our house so it doesn’t freeze. Our electric water heater can pick up the slack as needed.

If we change our usage patterns a bit to use hot water mainly during the day, this system should be able to provide 50-80 percent of our hot water needs, dropping our electric bill $30-50 a month. Although the up-front cost is high (about $4800), with the 30% federal tax credit and Oncor’s rebate, our effective cost is only about $1500. The system should pay for itself in 30-50 months.

Since this project combines saving money with helping the earth, I feel like a kid at Christmastime! We hope to have it installed sometime in March.