When it comes to energy, you can get ancient or fresh
There are many ways to heat water, but in the end it really boils down to how we make use of the sun’s energy.
Consider these two scenarios:
Scenario 1: Ancient energy.
The process starts hundreds of millions of years ago. The sun shines down on our planet providing energy for plants and animals to flourish. The life process pulls carbon out of the air and over many millions of years, some of the remains (including the embodied solar energy) are concentrated, buried, compressed, heated and transformed by various geological events.
Pockets of this ancient sunlight, also known as fossil fuels, are sequestered in the Earth’s crust and, after spending billions of dollars to find, drill, pump, and refine, it is eventually distributed to your home where it is burned beneath a tank of water. In some cases, it is burned beneath a large tank of water at a power plant and the resulting electricity heats the water in your home. Either way, in the end you get to take a nice hot shower.
Scenario 2: Fresh energy.
The sun shines down on our planet and heats the water. You get to take a nice hot shower.
Of these two scenarios, which makes the most sense? Of course, you know that ancient energy is messy and toxic. It results in daily spills, leaks and disasters that wreak havoc on our environment and health. Fresh energy results in a sunny day, especially in Southern Nevada.
Solar water-heating technology has come a long way. Professional systems are well-designed, tested and have proven track records. There are standards in place with third-party certification systems that provide solid information about the performance of available products.
What’s the payback? There is no payback at all with a traditional water heater. Solar systems can save enough money to pay for themselves over the long run and they start helping the environment right away.
If you like the idea of using fresh, clean energy to heat your water, this is a good time to consider it. Incentive programs designed to enhance the solar-energy industry are working, helping manufacturers, installers and customers alike. Whether your ancient energy is electric or gas, there is a rebate program that can help offset the cost of installing a clean solar-energy system. If you also take advantage of the 30 percent federal tax credit, the overall cost of “going solar” can be reduced by 50 percent or more.
You can find more information at www.solarwaterheatingrebate .com if you are a Southwest Gas customer, or at www.nvenergy.com/ renewablegenerations if you are an NV Energy customer.
Every homeowner must replace the water heater at some point. When I needed a new one, I upgraded to a highefficiency tank that was part of a solar water-heating system. After incentives, the added incremental cost of the solar component was quite reasonable. Plus, it added solid equity to my home since nothing says “value” better than lower monthly operating costs.