DO SYSTEM OWNERS HAVE TO CHANGE THEIR HOT WATER USE HABITS TO USE A SOLAR WATER HEATER?
Not at all. What owners will find out with the solar system installed as part of the Front Porch program is that they will have even more hot water available than they had before the solar system was installed. This is because the installed solar system, be it a 30 or 40 gallon solar unit, doubles the amount of possible hot water available to the resident. Just keep in mind that the water heated by the solar system is heated whenever the sun is shinning. No water is heated by the solar system at night and on overcast or rainy days. Nevertheless, even on cloudy days, the solar water heater still has the electric back-up heating element installed in the storage tank. This electric heating element will provide you back-up hot water during days when there is no sunshine. To get the most out of the solar system (and save the most money from electric bills), it is best to use more hot water in the afternoon and early evening than in the morning. This allows the solar system to make hot water
