The sun is very effective at heating water for your home’s domestic hot water use. When the sun shines on a solar collector, the sun heats the solar fluid circulating inside. The solar fluid is usually an antifreeze mix of non-toxic propylene glycol and water This heated solar fluid heats the water in your hot water tank. This description of how the Solar Boiler works gives an excellent visual description of how the water is heated.



The sun can heat from 50% - 70% of the water required for your hot water needs, depending upon your pattern of hot water usage and the system installed.

That means you could save from 30% to 70% of the portion of your energy bill for heating water.

Calculate your family’s savings using this calculator on the EnerWorks website.

http://www.enerworks.com/Solar_Calculator.asp

Homeowners in Manitoba could receive up to $4000 off the cost of a 2 panel solar water heating system installation.

The Power Smart program at Manitoba Hydro will finance a solar domestic hot water system with a residential loan.

Grants and Incentives

The Government of Canada offers a $1250 grant for the installation of a solar domestic hot water system.

Manitoba Hydro offers a $1200 grant for the installation of a solar domestic hot water system.

Home Renovation Tax Credit 2009 - SDHW systems qualify for this federal tax credit of up to 15%.

Manitoba Green Energy Equipment Tax Credit -The government of Manitoba has included SDHW systems in its Green Tax Credit program. This credit is 10% of eligible costs.

Other provinces offer varying amounts of support.

Please consult the following links for more information on these grants and incentives.

http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/residential/personal/grants.cfm?attr=4

http://www.hydro.mb.ca/your_home/solar_water_heating/index.shtml       

http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/corporate/incentives.cfm?attr=4

Manitoba GREEN ENERGY EQUIPMENT TAX CREDIT

For more information:

Solar Water Heating Systems - a Buyer's Guide
(21 page guide from Natural Resources Canada - Adobe Reader Required)