Solar water heaters are a boon for businesses with high hot water or industrial heating needs. Hotels, hostels, apartment buildings, commercial pools, food & beverage processing units, the list of businesses that can leverage solar water heating is vast. Environmental concerns and rising energy costs are just some of the major reasons which may push you to consider solar water heaters over conventional industrial systems. Let’s discuss some of the benefits that you could enjoy by installing commercial solar heaters:

  1. Cost Savings:
    The savings and returns on investing in solar water heaters can be lucrative. On average, your heating bills could drop by 50%-80% after you switch to solar water heating. Worrying about increasing prices of electricity? Not a problem with solar water heating, thanks to the sun being a free and abundant resource!
  2. Government Subsidies:
    The Central and State Governments of India have introduced many initiatives to drive solar adoption by businesses. You can get up to a 30%-60% subsidy over the cost of a solar water heater depending on what category of user you are. Additionally, you are also eligible for accelerated depreciation of 40 percent per year on solar installation. As a result, your solar installation can pay for itself in as few as 2-3 years, practically giving you free hot water for the following 10-20 years!
  3. Be an ESG-driven business:
    Implementing solar water heaters gives businesses more benefits than just cost savings – it’s also a great way of showing consumers and employees that the organization cares. This allows the business to build Brand Loyalty amongst like minded customers. These systems work on 100% clean and renewable solar energy to heat water and put out no harmful greenhouse gasses. Research shows that a sector of consumers is very eco-conscious, and that such consumers prefer to do business with companies that have robust ESG policies versus ones that do not.

How to decide on the right solar water heater?

Commercial solar water heaters function similarly to residential systems, apart from the fact that they function on a larger scale. We’ve covered some of the popular types of solar water heaters in our blog, which you can check out here:

As it is evident, there are different types of solar water heaters. The points below can help businesses select the best fit solar water heaters as per their requirement.

Assess if the area is right for installation: Solar water heaters are mostly installed on the roof. For best results, the roof should receive optimal direct sunlight and it should face south. If the roof area is not enough, one can opt for suitable unshaded land.

Estimate the quantity of hot water required: The capacity of the water heater installed currently can be the starting point to estimate the quantity of hot water required. This will help your equipment provider decide the sizing of the solar water heater that you’ll need in the future. Greater the demand for hot water, the larger the heat collector size. Water level capacity above 500 liters is best suited for hostels, hotels, and hospitals.

Determine the build type of solar water heater:

In hotter regions, water can be heated using a relatively smaller collector size while in the colder regions larger collectors will be required. Indirect active solar water heaters are designed not to freeze in sub-zero climates, whereas passive direct systems are best for tropical climates. Explore our blog – Shining some light on Solar Water Heaters to understand what type of solar systems work well in different climatic conditions:

Complement solar water heaters with heat pumps:

While solar water heaters are able to heat water up easily and keep it hot for multiple days, they may not be able to provide enough hot water on rainy or cloudy days. For such scenarios, connecting a heat pump to the solar water heater can be a solution. In the combined setup, heat pumps, which work much like air conditioners, pull heat from the surrounding air and transfer it to the water. This ensures an uninterrupted flow of hot water to businesses. This combination is also ideal for heating water in large quantities as per a businesses need.

Benefits of this combo include:

  • Low operating costs which help save 60%-80% energy when compared to a similarly sized electric heating setup, lowering energy bills.
  • It is environmentally friendly.
  • Hot water availability in any weather condition.
  • Easily fitted with existing solar water heaters.
  • Tax benefits are available.

Every property is unique, so businesses should consult experts for guidance to choose the solar water heating system that is the best fit for them. Emmvee can help.

Emmvee Solarizers: A one-stop-shop for solar water heating systems

Emmvee has over three decades of solar industry experience and produces best-of-breed solar water heating systems to satisfy all water heating requirements of both residential and commercial customers. Emmvee is one of the handful of manufacturers to have acquired Solar Key Mark for its premium range of water heating systems that keep safety, hygiene, and durability at the forefront.
Emmvee can perform the following:

  • Assessment of hot water demand of commercial premises.
  • Scale up SWH systems design to meet the size of larger commercial systems.
  • Determine tank sizing and placement.
  • Design piping that connects the storage to the collector.
  • Evaluate whether there’s a need for a heat pump and solar water heating system combination, and provide the right setup.
  • Retrofit solar to existing commercial hot water systems.

Get expert help now for your commercial solar water heater implementation.

Find us at

Phone Number – +91 80 2217 4333

Email ID – info@emmvee.in