[RP TownTalk] Affordable Solar Water Heaters

[Regina M. Kreger]

Let me add .....  if you don't feel up to the DIY but want a solar water 
heater, and are willing to let a group of inexperienced locals practice 
on your house, please join in.  We will be bound by building codes, so 
at least that's a whole set of mistakes we WON'T be making.

Regina M. Kreger wrote:

> 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
>