The green product resource for your home remodel.

Conventional water heaters, tankless water heaters, & solar water heaters.

The solar water heater buzz is rising across the internet, and feeding the frenzy is the emergence of rebates — especially in California where Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation last Fall to spend $250 million over the next 10 years on rebates for solar water heaters.

Rebates from your gas utility can be as much as $1,500. Rebates are paid for by everyone who doesn’t have a solar water heater as your monthly bill will see a small increase of less than twenty cents.

The city of Palo Alto, CA this week joins communities such as Sacramento and Austin with an outline to their rebate program. The latter two programs are already live.

The DOE’s Consumer’s Guide to Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy has some great information on the topic of solar hot water heaters. There are several flavors of solar hot water heaters, and you’ll need to take a small amount of time to see which type is right for you. The DOE includes a cost calculation sheet on their site that you can work the numbers to understand your payback.

Take a look at the following links for more information on suppliers and pricing; AET, Solar Direct, SolarRoofs.com, Heliodyne (images in this article), Sun Ray Solar, Sun Earth Inc., Sun Systems Inc., ThermoTechnologies, and Apricus.

You will most likely go back and forth and debate the benefits of a tankless hot water heater over a conventional one in your remodel - many of us at GetWithGreen.com have during our remodels (we all went tankless ;-)).  

The space savings will be a big draw for those of you living in smaller homes, and for some it will be the energy consumption of the tankless vs. a conventional model, or which one pays back faster? Tankless water heaters deliver hot water “on demand”, without storing it.  They circulate water through burners or coils which heat the water.  Therefore, a tankless unit never runs out of water in theory, but they do have limitations on flow should too many family members try to consume hot water at the same time - although design of your system should limit this.

One debate that rages on across the internet is the time you will be required to wait for hot water.  Will a tankless get your hot water faster, or do you get it faster with conventional?   The LA Times’ Pardon Our Dust blog posted one perspective on the topic, and we think it is a good quick read.  The article is written by Bill Doering, and it outlines a little test he performed on his own to see which type of heater delivered hot water the fastest.  On-demand water heaters: A homeowner’s experience

A payback analysis for a tankless water heater is something that every energy conscious consumer should consider…

There are a lot of tankless water heater manufactures claiming a wide range of savings on your next water heating bill. A quick search on the web will show you a percent reduction of up 80%.   However the question still exists: how much would you really save on your water heating bill using a tankless water heater?

Most importantly what is the payback or ROI of the average tankless water heater and how does it compare to a traditional tank hot water system? Let us try to answer these questions:

Annual costs associated with water heaters of any type are divided into (3) categories:

1. Energy costs to heat the water from its incoming temperature to the desired temperature.
2. Standby energy costs: in the case of traditional tank heaters, standby cost is the cost of the energy to keep the water hot in the tank all day. For a tankless water heater standby cost is the cost of energy when the tankless water heater is running This post continues… �

With winter just around the corner, we now have access to a tool that can help us evaluate and possibly reduce our energy bills up to 25 percent by making some simple improvements around the home, according to the EPA.  The new tool from EPA, the Energy Star Home Advisor, provides consumers with customized recommendations for improving energy efficiency and comfort at home. And as we know, using energy more efficiently is also another way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“Dropping temperatures don’t have to lead to rising energy bills. By making a few energy saving home improvements, Americans can stay warm this winter, while keeping more cold cash in their pockets,” said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson.

The average family spends This post continues… �

How much do tankless water heaters cost?  How can you compare them?  This site has some comparisons of models. It also goes further to discuss the amount of water you might need and which heater could be most appropriate. Take a look and Comment below to let other GetWithGreener’s know what you think!

Tankless Water Heater Comparison

Click on the links in the middle of the page that say Compare to find the prices and comparisons!!

For links to other Tankless water heater manufacturers see this other GetWithGreen posting on tankless water heaters.

If your accountant hasn’t already told you, don’t forget that in 2007 you are eligible for a residential energy tax credits for energy efficient upgrades purchased during your home remodel! (Note: these credits were also available in 2006)

Types of products include windows, insulated entry doors, high efficiency air conditioners, and of course solar.   See www.irs.gov for more information.  You’ll want to search Form 5695, which is the form for Residential Energy Credits. 

So save your home remodel receipts during 2007, and stay subscribed to GetWithGreen because we’ll keep you posted on whose paying out what for rebates… 

Tankless water heaters take you a step toward green, as well as save space in your remodel. Below are direct links to manufacturers. I personally found that the Rheem site was the most informative!

• Bradford White (electric or gas)
• Bosch (gas)
• Eemax (electric)
• Stiebel (electric)
• Chronomite (electric)
• Rheem (gas)
• Noritz

When facing your remodel, you’ll likely replace your water heater. Which direction do you go? Tankless, or the Conventional Water Heater that we are all used to? This article from the U.S Department of Energy offers a great overview of how to select the right conventional water heater to save $$’s and our environment: Conventional Storage Water Heaters