How much does solar hot water cost to install?

Answer 1

It really depends on where you are and what you want to do. Some countries offer government assistance if you are replacing an electric hot water system.

I set up a home made system in a village in Thailand using plastic water pipes. A large piece about two metres long and 20 cm diameter sat up on the roof exposed to the sun. I stepped down the diameter to normal pipe size and attached it to the mains cold water at the bottom. At the top of the "tank" I drew off the hot water down into the shower. It cost only the price of my labour, a couple of taps and joins, and some piping. It's still there, twenty years later. (Of course the Thais all thought I was crazy. They all had cold showers.)

Some people say evacuated glass tubes are a better system than the old flat panels full of water, as they catch the heat more easily. The down side is that they are more suseptible to hail damage and are more expensive to repair. A large insulated tank for the hot water, and a small pump that comes on when the rooftop water temperature is higher than the tank water temperature.

You need to phone your local dealers to find the price and any government rebates in your area. Get three quotes.