Unfortunately, many homeowners find that one of their biggest household bills comes from the use of their hot water system. Whilst one way to save money on this bill is to simply use it less, this is actually quite impractical when you take into account that you need to take showers or baths, wash your clothes, wash the dishes and run the dishwasher. There is, however, another way that you can save money and this is by combining your gas system with a solar one.

A solar system uses sunlight in order to generate free hot water. Solar thermal collectors are, more often than not, placed on the roof where they soak in the sun’s rays and use them to heat up the water in the tank. The problem with this unit is that if you live in an area that doesn’t receive a whole lot of sunlight at certain times of the year your home will simply not have any warm water. This is where a conventional gas system becomes useful, as it provides the backup needed to ensure that you have constant access.

But how do these sorts of hot water systems actually work? Firstly, a solar system is comprised of a storage tank (either active or a passive; the former has circulating pumps and controls, whilst the latter doesn’t) and solar thermal collectors. Secondly, a gas unit will be connected to the storage tank and will only kick in where there isn’t enough power generated by the sun. It uses natural gas or LPG to heat the water in the tank before it is sent to all of the faucets in your home that require it.

To be as efficient as possible and to save the most money, however, your solar tank will require a well-insulated storage contained. The system will feature a supplementary outlet and inlet, which is connected to and from the connector and allows it to operate. You have two choice in how the gas and solar units can work in conjunction – two tanks, where the water is pre-heated in the storage tank before being passed to the gas one, and one tank, where the backup heater and storage tank are combined.

There are a number of considerations that you should make when choosing a solar and gas system, including:

• Consideration of your home’s location and its suitability for solar energy;
• Your home’s demand for constant warm water, as this will determine the size of the tank;
• The energy efficiency of the unit and how much it costs to run; and
• Communication with local regulators regarding the installation of a gas and solar unit.

To ensure that you have successfully combined a gas and solar hot water system (and to ensure that you will save as much money on your bills as possible) you will need to give the project some careful thought. Another way that this type of system will work to save you money, and one that is worth mentioning, is that it is relatively maintenance free. It will only require professional attention about every four to five years, which is amazing.