an irony of solar energy vs. traditional society

An idiosyncracy of living in a hot climate where water supplies are often scarce is that your household water is often provided from a tank on the roof. Most of our VISTA apartments are supplied from water tanks on the roof, where they get the full sun of the day: solar heat! Because our summer nights are still hot, the water tank never really cools much.

Typically, each room has its own electric water heater, powered by a(n unmarked) switch on the wall. The water heater is either in a closet, or the ceiling, or the wall -- so it does not get any solar heat!

Thus, counter-intuitively, in summer, we:

1- leave the hotwater power switch off;

2- turn on the “cold” water tap for hotter water, and

3- get cooler water from the “hot” water tap.

Thus in full summer, it is better to take showers in the morning can be rather scalding, when the tank has had a chance to cool somewhat.

At some point when there is less solar heat, we switch back to normal operation -- maybe late September?

That water gets really hot in the summer. I think it would be best to have some sort of cover or roof over the tank, perhaps a porous cloth roof that would let rain through, but would block most sunlight.

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