Q: Based on our water bills, my family uses lots of water and much of it is probably hot water. Is there a simple solar hot water system design that I could build myself? A: Heating water can account ...

Jeff Somers is a freelancer who has been writing about writing, books, personal finance, and home maintenance since 2012. When not writing, Jeff spends his free time fixing up his old house. He has ...

Heating water is one of the most energy-consuming and costly household tasks. According to the Department of Energy, it makes up roughly 18% of a standard home's monthly energy budget. And if you use ...

Solar energy has been around for a long time now, which means it's become much more accessible to normal homeowners. With solar panels or collectors installed on your roof, you can take advantage of ...

Installing solar power at a home is a great way to reduce electricity bills, especially as the cost of solar panels and their associated electronics continue to plummet. Not every utility allows ...

Solar water heaters work by absorbing sunlight in solar collectors and saving the heated water in a storage tank. Both active and passive solar water heaters are available. Active systems are ...

Learn how to make solar water heater panels by building this thermosiphon outdoor shower system that can even water your greenhouse. A few years back, a friend donated a Sunvelope solar hot water ...

Dealing with high utility bills? Water heating may be one of the major culprits. According to the US Department of Energy, it is one of the largest residential energy uses and accounts for nearly ...