- Plumbing - Drain & Sewer - Air Conditioning - Heating & Radiant - Solar Heating
- Rebates, Testimonials, Articles & More - Preventative Maintenance Plans
Solar hot water heating is an extremely efficiency method for heating domestic and radiant hot water. Product advances and decreasing product costs make this a viable option for most homeowners...
Thermal Solar Hot Water Heating Gaining Momentum
Solar thermal water heating is a simple, reliable, and cost-effective technology that harnesses the sun's energy to provide for the hot water needs of homes and businesses. Right now federal rebates allow homeowners to receive tax credits worth up to 30% of the system cost. This is the best time to reap the numerous benefits of solar power! 
One of the great aspect with thermal solar hot water heating is simplicity, as oppose to photovoltaic solar energy where direct current energy must be stored and then converted to alternating current before being used in the home. Thermal solar is simple, efficient, and straight forward. Essentially rooftop panels containing glycol or other liquids are circulating between the roof top panels and a hot water storage tank that supplies the domestic or radiant hot water. With recent advances in panel technology systems can provide nearly all of the needed hot water for showering, washing, and domestic use even on a cloudy day. 
Solar hot water systems utilize radiation from the sun to heat a a food grade fluid inside roof top collectors. This heated fluid is circulated via smart controlled pumps through a heat exchanger at the holding tank. The holding tank then distributes solar-heated water into your domestic hot water system. This system might be another tank, boiler, or custom system. Then, this fluid is sent through pipes to heat your hot water.
The technicians at Bellows Plumbing, Heating, & Sewer handle all aspect of thermal solar design, installation and service. We carry a variety of products including, HTP, Apricus, Velux, Taco,and Munchkin. Give us a call to schedule an evaluation.
The Energy Upgrade California Process 
The Energy Upgrade California program is a great way to save money and save energy. All customer in good standing with PG&E can qualify for up to $4,000 on energy saving projects. Some of the projects we've completed have included solar thermal, tankless water heaters, furnaces, boilers, windows, insulation, and air sealing. Depending on your home's needs we can work with the home energy auditor to find the optimal solution.
The process starts with a home energy inspection. During the inspection we estimate you energy usage and complete a site walk. The purpose of this first visit is to identify if your home will be a good candidate for the program. If we determine that your home is a good candidate for the Energy Upgrade California program we will set you up for a HERS rater analysis. The analysis takes between 3 and 6 hours to complete and is extremely detailed. We'll measure everything from the size of the house, to total air flow turn over, to combustion safety, to insulating values, and more. Once the analysis is complete we'll use a a modeling software called EnergyPro to determine your home's annual energy consumption. Using the model we can then develop energy saving methods. Once we determine the best course of action and upgrades we'll provide you with a detailed bid for the project and estimated rebate quote. From there the fun starts and we'll make upgrades to you home. The upgrades have a lot of range and Bellows will assist you through the whole process. Once the work is completed we'll perform one final home energy analysis. The second analysis lets us know exactly how much energy we saved and will determine your rebate amount.
For more information on the Energy Upgrade CA or to schedule a home inspection and walk through give Bellows Plumbing, Heating, & Sewer a call. We service all cities within Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, and Marin County. We look forward to hearing from you.
Page Jump
Apricus Solar Hot Water System
Contact Us
For service or general questions contact one of our local branches:
Santa Cruz: 831-477-7150
Santa Clara: 408-866-4620
Marin: 415-460-1264
or email:
Related Page Links
Complete list of Money Saving Rebates
