“An ENERGY STAR qualified solar water heating system can cut your annual hot water costs in half...”—www.energystar.com.

If you want to learn more about the technology of, benefits of, and rebates for solar water heaters, attend one of the upcoming workshops that the Southern California Gas Company and Go Solar California will host at Irvine City Hall.

Two workshops will be held. One is intended for owners and managers of multi-family dwellings; the other is intended for homeowners. RSVPs are requested: socalgas.com/solar. However, I suspect that if you just show up, you will be let in.

Multi-family Dwellings Solar Water Heating Workshop
• Date:   Tuesday, March 19, 2013
• Time:   9 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
• Place:  Irvine Civic Center
              1 Civic Center Plaza
              Conference and Training  Center
      
Single-family Dwellings Solar Water Heating Workshop
• Date:   Thursday, March 21, 2013
• Time:   7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.
• Place:  Irvine Civic Center
              1 Civic Center Plaza
              Conference and Training  Center   

Quotes from the ENERGY STAR website on solar water heater advantages:

“By using sunshine to heat or preheat your water, you can cut your water heating bill in half. …Large families with greater hot water needs can save even more.”

“ENERGY STAR qualified solar water heaters can cut your carbon dioxide emissions in half. Installing a qualified solar water heater will reduce the load of your electric water heater by almost 2,500 kWh per year, preventing 4,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere annually. This is the equivalent of not driving your car for four months every year!”

“The average life expectancy of qualified solar water heating systems is 20 years, much longer than standard gas or electric storage water heaters.”