Laws to Mandate Solar Water Heaters

by Larry Smith

In the 1970s, Barbados made a policy decision to support solar water heating manufacturers. This included incentives on imports, tax rebates and a mandate that all government-owned facilities have solar water heating systems.

Today, 70 per cent of all buildings in Barbados are heated by solar (including hotels) and 60 per cent of solar water heaters are produced locally.

The systems in use in Barbados consist of a solar panel, a tank and the interconnecting plumbing that is normally insulated. The recommended size of a solar collector for a family of four is four meters squared with a 300-litre tank capacity. Such a system currently retails for about $US2000.

The solar water heating industry saves Barbados about $US 6.5 million per year in imported fuel. Currently, about 32,000 solar water heaters are installed in homes, businesses and hotels in Barbados.

Hawaii will soon become the first American state to mandate solar water heaters for all new single-family homes as a standard feature. The new law will continue to allow owners of existing homes to receive tax credits and rebates for solar water heating retrofits.

Developers had argued that the requirement would add to the cost of a home, but installing a system initially would be less expensive than adding one later. Moreover, since heating water accounts for about 30 to 35 per cent of a household's electricity bill, residents of new homes would see lower power bills immediately, with savings paying for a system within a few years.

Israel has long had a similar mandate and since last year, Spain has had similar requirements.