Solar hot water heaters should be flying off the shelves in Massachusetts next week, as the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) will implement a new solar Mass. CEC Logorebate program that will cut the cost of installing a solar hot water heater on a home in half.

The amount of rebate money you can receive from the program for installing a residential solar hot water heater varies according to size. Here’s how it breaks down:

A four-person household would require about 81 square feet of solar hot water panels atop their home. The homeowner would receive a $1,000 rebate for such a system. Another $200 would be available if the homeowner’s system used equipment that’s made in Massachusetts. By now I’m sure you’ve realized that $1,200 doesn’t cover half the cost of the installation. But it does when you combine this new rebate with a 30-percent tax credit.

Unlike a solar photovoltaic (PV) system, which produces electricity, a solar hot water system uses the sun’s heat to warm the water used in your house. How much energy you’ll save with a solar water heater depends on the amount of sunlight you get and how many solar collectors you install. Generally speaking, a system can meet somewhere in the range of 50 percent to 75 percent of a home’s hot water needs.

If you’re thinking about installing a solar hot water system in Massachusetts, make sure you’re a customer of a utility that participates in MassCEC’s Renewable Energy Trustfund. You’ll be able to figure this out by simply looking at your utility bill. Participating utility companies charge their utility customers a small monthly fee so that they can participate in MassCEC’s clean energy programs. As far as we know, the following utilities are participating in the program: NSTAR, National Grid, Unitil, Western Massachusetts Electric Co. and municipal power companies in Ashburnham, Templeton, Holden, Holyoke and Russell.

MassCEC is already accepting early applications for the rebate, so act now and take full advantage of this latest offer. To learn more about the new program and how you can benefit from installing a solar hot water system, check out MassCEC’s webinar and rebate information guide.