Did you know there are two primary uses of solar energy?

Solar panels (called photovoltaic or PV panels) can convert the sun's rays into electricity, which is stored in batteries. Solar thermal panels, on the other hand, use the sun's energy to heat your home's water.

Both types of solar have many applications -- they're not, however, always used in the same systems. Some homes, particularly those "off the grid" (that is, not connected to a power line), will use both, though their solar thermal systems are secondary.

But many homes, on-the-grid, in subdivisions or on farms, find a solar hot water system to be sufficient.

Such a system will not only heat domestic hot water for showers, laundry and other uses, but the hot water can be funneled through a radiant-floor heating system that warms your home from the floor up. It's the most comfortable, constant kind of heat because there's no air blowing through furnace ducts. As a result, there's much less dust, dry air, and furnace noise.