Learn about Evacuated Tube Solar Water Heater

A solar water heater collects energy from sunlight to heat water for domestic uses such as showering and washing, and in some cases for heating the interior of the house. An evacuated tube collector uses curved collectors inside glass tubes to collect the heat. The glass tubes have a layer of evacuated space, with no air in it, that insulates the heat collector. A solar water heater preheats the water so your regular water heater doesn't have to work as hard, saving on your energy bill.

Check whether you have good, unshaded solar exposure on your roof or next to your house. Have a solar assessment of your property. For some cities in the USA, you can look up your address on Google's Project Sunroof to access an assessment of your solar potential. When looking to install, find a supplier and installer with a warranty and good references.

Can cut your hot water energy bill by 40 to 50%, saving electricity, gas, or oil and reducing your greenhouse gas emissions using the most primary renewable energy source - the sun!

The heat collected from sunlight in an evacuated tube travels up a device in the middle, called a heat pipe, and heats up a knob of metal at the top of the tube. If you place a single evacuated tube in the sunlight, or even inside under the light of a strong lamp, the knob at the top will become uncomfortably hot to the touch. Be careful with them!