One of the simplest ways you can reduce the cost of heating water in your home is to connect your home's water heater to a passive solar heater. You'll be able to reduce the amount of energy that you use by relying mostly on the heat of the sun to heat your water instead of natural gas or electricity. To learn how passive solar heaters work and how they can help you save money on your energy bills, read on. 

What Is a Passive Solar Water Heater?

Passive solar water heaters don't use pumps to move water around, so they don't require electricity. When you install one, its intake pipe is connected to your home's plumbing, and its outlet pipe is connected to the cold water intake on your home's water heater. When you use the hot water in your home and your water heater refills itself, it will draw directly from the passive solar heater outside.

There are two main types of passive solar heaters on the market: integral collector storage (ICS) systems and thermosiphon systems. ICS systems are the simplest. An ICS system consists of a large tank that you put outside in a location that receives direct sunlight, like in your backyard or on your roof (if your roof is strong enough to support the weight of the water). Sunlight heats the water in the tank over the course of the day.

Thermosiphon systems consist of a network of thin pipes with a well-insulated tank above them. Hot water rises above the level of cold water, so as the water in the pipes heats up during the day it will flow upwards into the insulated tank.

The tank in a thermosiphon system is normally smaller than the tank in an ICS system. However, a thermosiphon system's insulated tank will stop the temperature of the water inside from dropping as much if it gets cold overnight. An ICS system can't be insulated since the heat from the sunlight needs to transfer to the water inside.

How Does Using a Passive Solar Water Heater Help You Save Money on Energy Costs?

When you install a passive solar heater for your water, you can preheat it before it reaches your home's hot water tank. The water coming from a passive solar heater is much warmer compared to the water coming from your well or your city's water pipes. When your water heater is being supplied with water that has already been preheated, it doesn't have to work as hard to heat it up. Whether you use gas or electricity, you'll be able to save money on your energy bills by preheating your water using sunlight.

For more information, call a water heater service in your area.