A Copper Cricket® solar water heating system was purchased for installation in the Harmony House in 1990. This is a passive, self-pumping, self-regulating solar water heater. It requires no electric power, pumps, valves, or moving parts making it almost maintenance free. The sun's power is harnessed to transport solar heated water from a collector to a hot water tank when there is sufficient solar radiation and remains dormant when there is not. And, if solar radiation is available but not sufficient to fully heat the water, the Copper Cricket can still function by providing preheating for water before it is fed into the electrical water heating unit. In this way, the Copper Cricket helps to reduce electrical energy needed for water heating.

For more information on residential solar energy go to: The Energy Service Company, Domestic Service Water Heating : http://www.efn.org/~esco/dswh.htm or Solar Works Services at : http://www.solarworksca.com/Services.html