The Investment Tax Credit (ITC) is a federal tax incentive that allows businesses to reduce their federal income taxes based on the cost of installing qualified clean energy equipment, like solar panels. It is claimed under: IRC Section 48 (legacy ITC rules), and IRC Section 48E (Clean Electricity Investment Credit) for newer projects. Read more here.(https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/clean-electricity-investment-credit)

The main differences between the Apparent eXeL Hybrid Solar Water Heater and a solar thermal water collector system come down to simplicity and reliability. Our eXeL solar water heater uses dedicated PV solar panels to create energy to heat the heating element in the water tank just like a standard water heater, only using free renewable energy from the sun.  Solar thermal water collectors use the sunlight to heat the water directly inside a collector usually mounted on the roof.  These collector systems are often complicated to set up, require a lot of space and have been known to cause damage from leakage on the roof.

At the heart of our solar water heating system is a patented heating assembly that uses low voltage DC power directly from the solar panels. The power heats a proprietary heating element inside the tank without the use of any inverters or batteries. So, even in cloudy weather, there is sufficient energy being drawn into the heating assembly to effectively keep the water hot 24/7. Lastly, when connected via the home WiFi network, temperature control and energy usage monitoring can be done remotely via the Apparent mobile app.

The system consists of three main components: a custom designed stainless steel water tank,  dedicated photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, and a patented, low voltage DC heating assembly made up of a proprietary heating element and a “smart” controller.  Each component is easy to install by a qualified professional and designed with safety features. The smart controller uses low voltage circuitry (below 60v). You can watch our installation video here.

Yes, our system is uniquely designed to be extremely energy efficient (75% less voltage than standard heaters) and can quickly heat water even with minimal amounts of sunlight in cold climates. As long as the solar panels remain unobstructed (such as by snow or leaves), the solar panels can produce sufficient power to drive the low voltage requirements of the heating assembly. This allows even more independence and flexibility with the option to mount the solar panels on Northern or Southern facing roofs.  Finally, all eXeL Hybrid Solar Water Heaters come standard with an A/C connection for grid-powered electricity as a backup.