Errol Kreamer, 87, has improved on the solar-powered water heater he has used for the past 25 years to help heat the water in his Marrero home. The new heater, which measures 12 feet by 6 feet by 4 feet, can hold 500 gallons of water in its tanks – compared to just 60 in the initial heater – but runs on the same elegantly simple principle.

The system, known as a “batch heater,” is basically an insulated box in which cold water enters the box and is heated by the sun, and then the hotter water rises to the top and out to the shower, sink and even the washer/dryer.

“There’s no pumps or anything to hook up to it,” Kreamer said.

The new heater also uses three large reflectors to augment the existing solar energy entering the tank, which is particularly helpful during the colder, darker winter months when water entering the heater’s collector can be below 40 degrees.

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