Need some help understanding the financial ins and outs of solar hot water?  If you are considering installing a solar hot water collector, the following table will give you some tips about the best way to take full advantage of your investment.

TFS strongly believes that getting hot water from the sun is the best way to go, but in some cases, the conventional options may be more financially feasible.  This all depends on your water consumption, how many people live in your home and your current method of hot water generation, whether it’s an electric or gas water heater.  We based our calculations on the following water use patterns: the typical American two-person household will use approximately 40+ gallons of hot water a day.  A three-person household will use approximately 55+ gallons of hot water a day.

Things to take into consideration: These are numbers based on the usage patterns of standard Americans.  Also, they assume constant natural gas and electricity prices: it is important to note that these prices are likely to go up.  Experts assume electricity prices will increase on average 2% a year, which will increase the return on investment (ROI) significantly.  The same is true of natural gas prices.  When looking at the long term investment, it is important to take these trends into consideration.