Solar Water Heaters

Following up on Adam’s down-to-earth post about the basics of installing solar, there’s a great piece out today from The Star about the concrete benefits in using a solar water heater for a pool. For anyone with a pool that they need to worry about heating, getting solar has been a sensible and cost-effective solution for quite some time, and the technology is only improving. The article explains that the heater allows its user to save money, operate the pool longer, and have less environmental impact, relative to propane or gas heating. While this isn’t new news, the case for a solar water heater is so strong that it bears repeating like this from time to time. Anything that is cheaper, providing more benefit, and more responsible than the other options has an iron-clad case for being the best solution available to consumers.

The most important part about the piece, though, is that it underscores something very important about renewable energy and environmentally-conscious decisions. And that is that getting solar isn’t about “making a sacrifice”. While altruistic decisions made for the benefit of the planet are great, the new reality of addressing climate change isn’t going to be simply an endless succession of charitable decisions. Many of the transitions are going to allow for more inventive, better ways of doing things. Responsibility is a big part of the transition, but it’s also, more importantly, about opportunity.