It's so good having a hot shower knowing the water has been heated by the sun rather than a coal fired power station! Making the switch to solar hot water should cut our electricity bill by a massive 60% - electric hot water systems are real energy guzzlers. We went with a 300L Solarhart hot water system, and fully installed, after the rebates, it cost us around $1,800.

There's federal and state rebates to take advantage of at the moment, if you're switching from electric hot water - check out www.environment.gov.au/settlements/renewable/solarhotwater and www.environment.nsw.gov.au/rebates for the details.