Solar energy is a gift from the sun, but one that’s vastly underutilized by human society. As natural gas supplies dwindle and as prices skyrocket, however, more and more people will turn to the sun to meet their needs for energy. We’ll use the sun’s energy to heat our homes and to produce electricity. And many will use the sun’s massive outpouring of energy to heat water for a wide variety of domestic uses. This section explores this application.

Besides ensuring our comfort and promoting personal hygiene, hot water constitutes a huge portion of our annual fuel bill — about 14 percent of the average annual household fuel bill in the United States, according to the US Department of Energy. As natural gas production declines and prices climb, the cost of hot water is expected to rise dramatically. Those who retrofit their homes for solar hot water could save a sizeable amount of money.

Before we explore solar hot water systems and the options available to you, though, let’s take a look at the most common hot water systems in use today. You’ll need to understand how these systems operate because solar hot water systems are typically integrated with them.

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