Green Bible

Electric water heaters have been mainstay appliances in many homes since they were introduced to the housing marketplace at the end of the 19th century. These are basically cylindrical water storage tanks with an electrical heating mechanism that activates itself once the water temperature cools down. These large heaters often occupy their own closet space inside for example, North American homes, or they may be placed outside of the house.

While electric water heaters were once thought of as being energy-efficient due to their ability to store hot water until needed, the reality is that these devices are responsible for a great deal of electrical power consumption. The energy that electric water heaters consume is roughly one third of the monthly electricity bill. This means that for some households having an electric water heater costs thousands of dollars a year.

The rising cost of fossil fuels and residential electricity rates have prompted innovators to spring into action with green household products that not only help preserve the environment by reducing carbon emissions, but also benefit entire families by significantly lowering their monthly utility bills. One such product comes from Simple Heaters: a neat solar solution that takes advantage of the existing cylinder tanks and cuts down electricity bills by more than 30% each month.

The idea behind Simple Heaters is to take advantage of solar power to work in tandem with the electric water heater already installed in your home. Solar water heating for residential use is hardly a new concept. In the United States, primitive solar water heaters were installed on the roof of some Baltimore homes at the end of the 19th century, shortly after electric water heaters became widely available. Currently in Israel more than 80% of households use solar power to take hot showers, thereby saving that country more than two million barrels of oil each year. Other countries such as Australia and Japan are realizing huge energy savings by promoting the use of solar water heaters.

Using the carefully explained step-by-step instructions provided by Simple Heaters, anyone can build a solar hot water system that increases the efficiency of the existing electric water heater. The materials are cheap to buy and easy to find. A single trip to the hardware store is all it takes to get started.

After following the do-it-yourself steps provided by Simple Heaters, the energy savings begin immediately. Thanks to the smart design of the solar water heater, the water entering the home is already warm, thereby considerably reducing the use of the electric heater’s mechanism. The circulation of hot water throughout the house does not change itself, it is rather the efficiency of thermodynamics that is improved.