The state of Hawaii has a law that mandates the use of solar water heating for new construction. There are alternatives such as on demand gas heaters and electric heaters powered by solar panels and inverters. Gas heaters have an initial cost determined by the size and sophistication of the system, and will always require the purchase of propane. The amount of energy needed to heat water electrically with solar panels would require about 6 times the panel array that could be done with direct solar heating.
When the cost of a solar water heater is adjusted by tax credits from the federal and state governments (and in some cases the local electric company) the systems can easily pay for themselves in savings from the electric bill in a couple of years, and will keep on heating your water for its lifetime with very little further maintenance cost. Almost Free !
We have recently partnered with Hawaiian Solar in Kailua Kona to represent the SOLAHART line of solar water heaters. We will soon have a demonstration system to show how incredibly efficient they are , and what they look like.
We have brochures and other presentation aids to help you understand the process and we invite you to come down and see us or give us a call.