10-11-2005, 10:39 AM
Greetings!
I suppose when you get this, it will be too late, but I'm very surprised you haven't installed (or even considered?) a solar water heater. A tankless is better than a tank for efficiency, but a solar water heater is the best of all. The only question is if you have any solar (South) exposure to your roof or nearby.
I put in a solar hot water system here in Encinitas CA last March, and I finally just turned off the gas to our water heater a couple of months ago because we didn't need it. In Hawaii, you should almost never need backup. By the way, our gas bills since I turned off the pilot light have been $1.77 and $2.58 (down from around $10). It's surprising how much a little flame like that uses.
If you're interested, check out www.butlersunsolutions.com for a simple and low-cost system produced by a friend of mine. A kit containing everything you would need (collectors, pumps, heat exchanger, piping, etc) except a water tank (it is designed for retrofit, so most people already have a tank -- it has to have something to heat up) sells for $2700. Finally, be aware that some tankless systems are not designed to work with preheated water.
Take care. I'm afraid we are living in interesting times...
Roger D.
I suppose when you get this, it will be too late, but I'm very surprised you haven't installed (or even considered?) a solar water heater. A tankless is better than a tank for efficiency, but a solar water heater is the best of all. The only question is if you have any solar (South) exposure to your roof or nearby.
I put in a solar hot water system here in Encinitas CA last March, and I finally just turned off the gas to our water heater a couple of months ago because we didn't need it. In Hawaii, you should almost never need backup. By the way, our gas bills since I turned off the pilot light have been $1.77 and $2.58 (down from around $10). It's surprising how much a little flame like that uses.
If you're interested, check out www.butlersunsolutions.com for a simple and low-cost system produced by a friend of mine. A kit containing everything you would need (collectors, pumps, heat exchanger, piping, etc) except a water tank (it is designed for retrofit, so most people already have a tank -- it has to have something to heat up) sells for $2700. Finally, be aware that some tankless systems are not designed to work with preheated water.
Take care. I'm afraid we are living in interesting times...
Roger D.
Roger D.