[RP TownTalk] Affordable Solar Water Heaters

[Regina M. Kreger]

Dear friends and neighbors,

I have been researching green options for my home. I talked with 
Chesapeake (formerly Wind and) Solar and find that solar hot water is 
much more accessible than PV power, but .... still a little steep.  A 
little more research, and I'm tempted to go DIY.  Found one company that 
designs a system specifically to be easy for the homeowner to install 
herself.  A recent Mother Earth News article goes farther with 
suggestions for building a system from scratch.  All designs require 
sunlight, of course, but in some designs the sunny spot doesn't have to 
be right square on your roof.

I thought .....  if maybe a half-dozen or a dozen of us got together, 
among us we might have enough savvy, guts, basic carpentry or plumbing 
know-how, to help each other put in solar water heaters at each of our 
homes. If several of us decided to go with the pre-built 
install-your-own system, we could maybe bargain for a lower group price. 
In the process, we might even learn enough to call it a marketable 
skill. We'll have experienced installations on a variety of houses of 
different styles and ages, each with unique issues.

Whaddaya say, folks?  Anyone interested?

Regina