Environmental Benefits of Solar Heating
Solar Thermal is one of the best ways to lower your carbon footprint and help protect the environment. Typically over 20% of a home's Green house gas emissions come from heating water. For many commercial businesses, such as fitness centers, water heating can account for over 50% of green-house emissions.
A solar water heater is one of the most influential and economical ways to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions. For example, a two collector solar thermal system will offset the same amount of greenhouse gasses as a 2.5 KW solar electric system at a fraction of the cost.
Here are a few of many environmental reasons to install a solar thermal system:
- Reduce Greenhouse gas emissions:
- 2-collector domestic hot water system can offset over 2 tons of CO2 per year or 50 tons over life of system
- 10-collector pool system can offset over 8 tons per year
- On-site generation: Reduce the need to mine and transport fossil-fuel energy
- Local products: Many solar thermal collectors are manufactured locally
- Increased water heater life expectancy