Special Note from the Editor:
Many homeowners believe that solar energy is not sufficiently reliable to use for heating their homes. In the past, this belief was too often well founded. As expected with any innovation, there were maintenance problems in the 1970s when the use of solar space heating and water heating systems began a rapid expansion. The situation in the US has changed. Technological advances and improved industry standards have resulted in significant improvements in both performance and reliability of solar collectors and systems. The Solar Rating and Certification Corporation (SRCC) now provides certification and thermal ratings for collectors and hot water systems. About 1 million homes in the US (about 1% of all residences) use the sun’s energy to heat water. This number should expand in the next decade as the price of solar systems falls and the environmental and societal benefits of solar energy are better...
