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Santiago Family
Residential Solar Water Heater
DeBary, Florida


Solar water heaters can produce up to 90% of a home’s hot water requirements. Solar water heaters provide hot water from a collector on the roof that is heated by the sun and stored in a tank. With combined Federal and State rebates and incentives, the initial investment for a solar water heater is becoming a much more feasible option.

For Pedro and Kassandra Santiago, a Florida family with two teenage children, the electric bill was a sore subject. Since hot water can account for approximately 30% of the monthly utility bill, solar water heating was one option to explore for relief, offering hundreds of dollars in yearly savings. Solar Direct, a distributor and systems installer partner of TCT, installed a TCT ProgressivTube® PT-50 ICS collector on the roof that now accounts for 90% of the family’s hot water needs, including hot water for showers, the dishwasher, the washing machine and the water in the kitchen sink. The Santiagos are helping the environment, saving money on electricity and reaping the benefits of their investment even before the 3-6 year payback period.

Acknowledging solar water heating’s quick payback, Pedro Santiago said, “It’s a no-brainer. Put money back into your own home so that when you are too old to work, your electric bill will be low enough you can still pay it.”

Combining solar water heating with an investment in solar photovoltaic, solar skylights, solar pool heating and hot water on demand, the Santiagos’ utility bill has been reduced by more than 50%.

There is another reason environmentally-minded Floridians might consider the value of switching over to a solar water heater, among other low-carbon activities.  Florida is fifth in the nation in carbon emissions, producing over 243 metric tons of CO2 per year*.

Yet, if like Germany recently legislated,  all new homes in Florida were built using solar water heating (around 160,000 houses per year) significant environmental and energy savings would be realized by the state*:

•      544 Million kWh of fossil-fuel based electricity savings
•      $50 M saved in utility bills
•      3,200 new jobs created
•      802 Million pounds of GH gases avoided.

* www.Eredux.com
* Source: Florida Solar Energy and Education Research Foundation (FlaSEREF)

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A solar water heater was part of a “Solar Home Makeover” for the Santiagos, one with a much faster rate of payback than solar photovoltaic.