Photo: Flickr/Kevindooley
It still amazes me that solar hot water systems are popular all over the world, but have yet to take hold in the United States.
The reason why it’s popular all over the world is very simple: Solar hot water systems are a reliable and affordable technology, especially for commercial applications like apartment buildings, office towers, hotels, car washes and laundry mats.
Take a large hotel in California, for example. Every day, your guests take hot showers all morning long. If you’ve got a small rooftop pool and Jacuzzi, even more hot water. Then your staff washes sheets, towels, cloth napkins, and tablecloths in the laundry room downstairs.
All that hot water adds up to a huge gas utility bill, 24/7, 365 days a year, eating into slimmer profit margins. Can you do something about it? Years ago, perhaps not. In 2010, absolutely: Solar hot water.
Today, commercial and multifamily customers can now qualify for an up-front cash rebate of up to $500,000 beginning on June 1, 2010. That’s a lot of potential free hot water for hotel guests and apartment residents. Plus, you benefit from an additional 30% Federal tax credit. Combined, those two incentives can cut solar hot water system cost by 50% to 75%.
How much a solar thermal system will save you depends on the size of your roof, your location, and many other factors. However, if you want a good estimate, take 2 minutes and plug in your numbers into our Free Hot Water Calculator.
In many cases, the payback is under 5 years, and Free Hot Water solar systems can last 20 years or longer. That may sound fantastic, but it’s the truth. Local rebates and Federal incentives are just that good right now, especially in California and Hawaii.
America, solar hot water systems are here, and they’re ready to help hotels and other hot water based businesses save money.
P.S.
The new Free Hot Water blog is an ongoing source of information for solar hot water based businesses and home owners wanting to reduce their gas bills. In the coming months and years to come, we’ll be writing about the Solar Hot Water economics, incentives, trends, technology, and government policies. So, check back often, and if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to comment below or contact one of our Free Hot Water consultants.
Thanks. And please consider solar.
