Cheap and Easy Solar

When it comes to solar power, photovoltaics get all the attention. But while turning the sun's rays into electricity may be sexy, thermal solar installations, which use the sun to heat water, are cheaper and more practical. Why not harvest this low hanging fruit? As the Toronto Star reports:

A decent solar thermal system can provide more than 75 per cent of a household's hot water in the summer and 25 per cent in the winter. Blended over four seasons, the sun can supply 35 to 55 per cent of a household's hot water needs, meaning less money spent on natural gas or electricity.

And as one source in the story notes, "If you can displace a kilowatt-hour of energy, it's darn near as good as producing it."

To learn more about solar water heaters, see this page from the Department of Energy. Also, don't forget about tax credits. According to this Energy Star page, a tax credit for 30 percent of the cost of the system -- up to $2,000 -- is available on qualified systems 'placed in service' in 2006 and 2007.