Suntrek Industries does not want to continuously beat the drum, but hot water is a constant daily household expense that is accounting for approximately 20% to 30% of your annual utility bill. In a typical household of 2.6 family members, hot water for morning and evening showers, dishwashing at the end of the day, and laundry costs for running the washing machine and dryer is running about $110 a year per person. A properly sized solar water heating system can be expected to save this average household $450 to $600.

Also, there is never going to be a better time to install a solar hot water system for your home and if you wanted to add the solar expense to your mortgage, probably not a bad idea – but see your CPA or Tax attorney first before making a decision. The monthly savings from a solar energy system that makes hot water is far greater than the small increase in mortgage payments. In addition, the IRS tax savings from the home mortgage or home improvement loan -- typically 25% or more -- count as an itemized deduction on your income tax and that isn’t taking into consideration the tax credit we talked about the past few days. The typical after-tax rate of return on investment will be over 18% per year, even for two people, at least that has been the experience of our Suntrek Industries families.

Today solar collectors, aka solar panels, are typically integrated into the slope of the roof, as this is the best method for making the house solar package beautiful. This method of installation gives the solar panel, collector, the appearance of a high quality, glass skylight. In most cases, the installation of solar panels on the roof  actually improves the appearance of the home because it looks like an elegant skylight.