A second option to explore is the use of a dedicated solar thermal hot water heating system coupled with a heat pump to make the most cost effective option on the market.
How to connect solar panels to hot water tank.
What you need to know about solar thermal panel installation a solar water heating system involves pipe work a thermostat and a hot water cylinder.
Some also have a drainback system to drain water from inside the solar panel when the pump is switched off.
If the heat exchanger is external to the solar storage tank you may choose to use a natural convection loop between the heat exchanger and the solar storage tank or you may install a pump to force water through the heat exchanger and tank.
If you have a gas water heater you ll need to add a second tank to store the solar heated water and purchase a hook up kit from fafco.
You split the cold water line feeding one branch into the storage tank and one into the collector.
You can use a solar panel to make hot water or to keep water from freezing.
Install valves and unions on the inlets and outlets of the tanks.
Preheating water heater using 24 volt pv solar panels and a 24 volt dc element.
Installing solar pv and using it to power an electric hot water system can be cheaper than installing a solar hot water system.
The kit includes everything you need to connect the solar panels to your existing electric water heater on a single story house you may need extra tubing for two story homes.
A circulation pump in the line that goes to the collector keeps water moving between them.
One solar panel would be enough to power a traditional storage hot water heater throughout a day as this is the most inefficient appliance used in most homes.
You can add solar thermal panels to most existing hot water systems.