Excluding the family car, water heating accounts for the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions from the average home.  It’s also one of the biggest guzzlers of power, accounting for between 25% and 35% of home energy use. 
People don’t realise that it is not expensive to install and maintain a solar hot water system.  The fact is, solar hot water systems generally pay for themselves within two years from installation and then the real savings start adding up.
A solar hot water system can save up to 90% of an average household’s hot water energy requirements.It can also save up to 3.4 tonnes of CO2 emissions from an average household each year.There are considerations such as location, direction of the roof and the actual system quality which will all affect the performance and efficiency, but the truth is that the sun can provide most of the energy requirements for a household’s hot water.  Any shortfall can be provided from conventional gas or electric supplies.  
The cost of electricity is growing and there is greater emphasis on finding renewable energy sources.If we consider the impact that electricity generation is having on the environment, then the case for solar power is all the more compelling.
Solar hot water has been the subject of massive technological development in recent times.Consumers can choose between a ground or a roof-mounted system, and can use the system in any weather conditions from below freezing to the heat of the desert.
Solar hot water isn’t restricted to new buildings.Many people around the world are being encouraged and incentivised by government to replace electricity driven hot water systems.
In Australia for example, eligible property owners, landlords and tenants are rewarded with generous government rebates when they replace their electric storage hot water systems with solar.To help people save money and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, the Australian Government is currently offering a Solar Hot Water rebate of 600 per eligible installation.It is currently estimated that the average family can reduce their annual energy bill by up to seven hundred dollars by installing a solar system.  
Perth solar hot water company, Solar MyWorld, have experienced a huge increase in demand for their systems since Government announced the rebates.People are under growing pressure to reduce their carbon emissions, and the company has seen this translate into increased demand for solar hot water systems.  
A study, ‘Energy use in the Australian Residential Sector 1986-2020′ which was commissioned by the Australian Government, projected that residential energy consumption from 1990 to 2020 would increase by 56%.However, water heating was the only major energy use that was predicted to decline, mainly as a result of government and state energy programmes.   Water heating energy use reached a peak in 2002 at 92.4 petajoules (PJ) and is anticipated to slowly decline to 8.5PJ by 2020. 
As a lifestyle change, solar hot water is one of the simplest and easiest – and most effective – changes people can make. There are no downsides.  It is cost-effective, low-maintenance and environmentally friendly.Moreover, a good quality Perth solar power hot water system should last at least 25 years, provided it has been installed by experienced professionals.Now, that’s a sizzling hot option!