I never had personal experience using solar panels… But I have a lot of experience using solar water heaters.
Most users directly go with the solar water heater solution without considering other options like Solar Panels because solar panels are less popular than solar water heaters.
I’m writing here to share some thoughts on this topic.
In our first building, we are using a Solar Water Heater. When we installed a few years back, our Karnataka government was offering 50rs discount on the electricity bill. (Now they removed this scheme)
So we have installed a solar heater immediately when we build our house so we can process this discount scheme while applying for a new connection.
Not just that….
Having a solar water heater also saves a lot on electricity bills.
That time when we installed, we only had G+2 floors, and we were on the First floor. Anytime we ON the tap, we usually get hot after collecting 10 litres of cold water, which usually comes at the beginning.
Now we extended from G+2 to G+3.
To get hot water, we need to collect almost 1 bucket (20 ltr) of cold water to start receiving hot water.
Collecting cold water is something you need to be aware of….
Another thing you should remember is when you most need hot water (cold time), that time hot water won’t be there. When you need less (summertime) hot water, that time you will have plenty of hot water.
Does that help?
My brother usually gets ready at around 7 AM. He doesn’t have the luxury of time like the rest of our family members. If it’s not summer, he usually always uses Geyser water rather than first collecting water to see if hot water is coming.
He cannot wait another 20 minutes to get hot water from the geyser if hot water is not coming.
This uncertainty will always exist when relying on solar hot water, especially when it’s not summer.
These days, our family members usually don’t bother waiting for solar water when it’s not summer.
And when it’s summer… again, we don’t need too much hot water. Isn’t it irony?
That’s how solar hot water works.
The above is our story.
A few days back, one of my relatives came to my house. When I asked about solar heaters, they replied we only have a solar heater, and we don’t have a geyser! And we get sufficient hot water every day.
I don’t know if they have a geyser or not. I never observed in their house.
I recommend you discuss this with a few other users to know their experience. I can only share what I experienced in my home.
We didn’t install solar hot water when we built our second building. We did install a solar water line, just in case. If I need it in future, I can make use of it.
I recommend consider installing Solar panels if your budget permits.
Solar panels may be a little costly at initial setup, but they’re more convenient than solar water heaters. Moreover… with solar panels, you can use free power for your building based on your requirements.
As I already told you, I’m not an expert in solar panel stuff. Based on what I understood, I’m interested in installing solar panels in my home in the future to avoid paying my electricity bill.
Currently, we get around ₹3,500 - ₹5,000 per month on electricity bills, and we don’t even have A/C. My first plan is to eliminate my bill, so I don’t need to bother much about paying Bescom every month.
We will see when the time comes.
If you are building your house, I recommend searching “solar panels” related videos on YouTube, learning more about it and seeing if you find it interesting.
If your budget permits, you can consider installing it in the initial stage by speaking to some solar panel service provider.
That’s all I wanted to share.