Solar Water Heaters

Yes, yes, but first, a little self praise:



I recieved a weird damn nice compliment today. Figured out what surrealism is all about.

Legions of Communists worship your robust cannabalism of Capitalists clad in junk mail suits.

To recieve one yourself, head over to the Surrealist compliment generator.



Anyway, so I head over to an aunt's place, and the beautiful terrace is jarringly disfigured by a huge contraption kept bang in the middle of one corner. Doesen't take a rocket scientist to figure out that it was a solar water heater, right over my favorite sit-comma-read-and-eat-ice-cream-here spot. My initial mental response was "wtf? WHY?" and my initial verbal response was "WHY?"



Pretty justified reason. This house has a washing machine, a microwave, a computer, a television, a deck and every appliance that is supposed to make life easy and pleasurable in the twenty first century. Every appliance, that also ends up getting you the electricity bill in a box on your doorstep. Unfortunately, the water heater is never counted as an appliance which gulps down electricity. The electricity bill with a geaser and all the appliances? Approximately one thousand two hundred bucks. With a solar water heater? Two hundred bucks.

People in Bangalore are pretty smart that way. I looked around, and was amazed to see thesmall apartment complexes all with a solar heater or two on top. I lost count at seventeen... there were too many that I spotted at once.



These heaters sell for about twenty five grand along with the installation charges. They come with a guarentee of ten years, but without any moving parts and plastic piping, I don't see why they shouldn't last much much longer. Apparently they recover the cost in five years, I calculated it to a two, and I think this is a pretty good investment.



Now these people use hot water for all sorts of purposes, cleaning the floor, cooking et cetera.



Unfortunately, solar cell technology was in the market before it could be perfected, and the research mony was cut thinking the technology had already reached its optimum efficiency. More funding means more efficiency, and probably lower costs.