By now, most consumers have heard about the idea of solar power as a way to get electricity for free. When the right collectors are used, the energy can be gathered up from the sun’s rays. This even works on cloudy days because the rays that are needed are not connected solely to the light that people can see. This energy can then be used to heat up water or to power devices in the home. The panels that are needed are not free, but all of the power that they collect is, which is how they will pay for themselves.
What consumers need to know, then, is where they should set up these solar water heater collectors so that they can be most effective and most cost-effective. Homeowners need to find a place where the sun will strike them almost directly. The collectors will work without direct contact, but they will not get as much power over the same period of time as they would get with better exposure. Homeowners need to find places where they will generate the most savings on electrical bills and hot water bills.
The most common place for these to be used is on the roof of the house. If the sun will move directly over the house during the day, the panels can be put on both sides of the roof so that at least one set is getting the right contact all day long. If the house is angled correctly, panels on one side will be much more effective than the ones on the other, so only a single side may be necessary. The roof is also a good location because people tend not to go up there, so the panels will be safe from harm.
When the roof alone does not present enough space, they can be set up on the ground. In some ways, these are more desirable. They can be tilted and angled during the day so that they draw in the most power. As the sun moves, the panels can move with it. These will be suspect to more damage from animals, people or vehicles, so the homeowner may want to think about putting up a protective fence.
Many times, the best option to get enough power for a solar water heating system is to have collectors on the roof and the ground. By doing this, the maximum amount of rays will be captured during the day. The homeowners will be able to expand the amount of collectors if they have expanding needs.