A Look at Solar Heating Tubes as Clean Energy

Rows of solar panels lined up on a rooftop are the usual ideas consumers have of clean energy equipment, or the gently spinning wind turbines extracting electricity from the wind. While these are accurate views of how alternative methods create energy, it leaves out one of the leading, cost-effective, and practicable of all alternative energy installations, ---namely solar heating tubes. This kind of of clean energy technology is used to provide hot water to homes and commercial buildings.

The applied science supporting this form of clean energy are already so far advanced as to be able to produce a variety of applications, not only for industrial or commercial applications but for household applications as well. There are millions of individual homes and residential buildings that rely on such clean energy systems for their hot water supply are able to significantly lower their electricity bills. In fact, the nation of China is the leading user of solar heating tubes, and it is estimated that a whopping thirty million homes (whether apartments or homes) receive from 60 to 70 percent of their hot water through solar heating tubes and not from traditional electric power sources.

Why only 60 to 70% and not their entire hot water supply? This is the only glitch with clean energy that depend on solar energy, and it happens due to the patterns of nature. Keep in mind that, the sun rises and sets everyday. As a result, solar heating tubes are only able to operate when sunlight is at its peak, which is generally from around 9 AM to 4-5 PM. However once the sun sets, it is as if the energy source of the water heater has been switched-off. However, solar heating tubes still attain around sixty percent efficiency because the large storage tanks the system uses can stay hot for several hours after the sun has gone down. This is the reason why most renewable energy professionals estimate maximum energy savings of solar heating tubes at the sixty percent threshold.

So what does it really mean for the property owner or landlord? For the most part, it means that, they would still have to use electricity from their utility or oil, gas, electric provider, in order to have a 24 hour supply of heated water. So what does it mean financially? Let's examine this topic more carefully.

Bear in mind that you will need to buy the solar heating system and spend money for its installation. It will involve a significant capital investment, and most property owners will use the equity in their property to put their equipment purchase on a kind of payment schedule, such as a business loan or second mortgage to buy the equipment. However, the solar power system is going to start operating as soon as it is set-up, which means that electricity expenses are going to drop steeply starting the first month of installation. This drop in energy bills generates money savings that can be used towards loan repayment. Now here is where this investment get really interesting, most systems can be paid back within 2-5 years;and after this period the money savings will go straight into the pocket of the owner. And from then on, hot water can be enjoyed at an incredibly lower cost.

In addition to the decrease in expenses and short "payback" period for the equipment, there is also a vast range of tax rebates available through such an investment. These financial incentives can help the property owner to recover the cost of the solar equipment quickly.

Craig Axelrod is a partner for Emmy Energy, a NY solar energy operation installing solar heating tube systems & solar pv systems in the Northeast.