I am fairly new at all this and I feel like my head is about to explode trying to calculate cost/savings and where to start! After Much reading, I think solar water heating may give me the best cost/benefit ratio and a good starting point.
I'm one of those guys who always thinks more is better, so I was thinking: If I'm going to all this trouble, why not just install extra collectors and use the solar heated water for supplemental home heating as well? I did notice that altE does not offer any solar hot water space heating items. Is there a reason for this? Is the solar air heater the way to go for this purpose? I live in the southeast, so winters are mild to moderate. I currently use all electric with propane as a backup heat source for power outages. For a long time I was leaning heavily towards a whole house propane tankless water heater, but my instincts tell me we are looking at a BIG rise in all energy costs in the near future.
Any suggestions(not limited to just water heaters) from those with more experience would be appreciated.
