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At what cost would it be affordable to convert to solar heat?

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May 16 - US

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superheat490
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superheat490

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Solar heat effectiveness depends upon many variables. One of the most important being what region one lives in and how much exposure they have to the sun.

Solar hot water is practical in many locations as a supplementive means of providing hot water. One must look at the payback time to best understand costs of solar. There are many tax credits which vary from state to state. If I were to look at solar as an option, which in my case I would hold off a few more years until solar panels drop in price, I would first check out my states energy section on its website for information relevant to tax credits and solar programs.

Another factor which is critical for solar heating is what type of existing heating system does one have, building insulation and construction, size constraints for panels.

I believe solar has a great future ahead, but personally am waiting for it to become more cost-effective. When solar panels become cheaper to produce and more efficient I myself will consider a supplemental hot water system tied to a wood-gasification heating system here in chilly New England.

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July 09

julie78787
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julie78787

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It depends on what you mean by "Solar Heat".

The most cost effective method, "Passive" solar heating, requires significant work at the house design and construction stage and may be fairly impractical afterward.

Other approaches, including solar water heating, can become cumbersome when large heating demands exist due to limited hours of sunshine, or limited space for the solar thermal collectors.