A Knoxville family will be enjoying hot water at a cooler cost thanks to a solar hot water system being installed in a home renovated through the Community Development's Housing Rehabilitation for Homeowners program.

Modern Supply Company donated the solar thermal system that was recently installed by Jones Brothers Construction at the Lenland Avenue home shared by a family of six in South Knoxville.

The solar hot water system uses energy from the sun to heat water needed for everything from cleaning dishes to bathing.

In the summer the system should take care of nearly all the home's hot water needs and will preheat water in winter reducing the amount of electricity needed to power the home's conventional water heater.

It marks the second time a solar hot water system has been installed in one of the city's rehabilitation projects.

"We're committed to energy efficiency in all the rehab projects the city helps make possible," said Todd Kennedy with Community Development. "We're also very grateful to our community partners like Modern Supply Company for helping us make a difference in the life of this family."

One of the Community Development's missions is helping low-to-moderate income families replace or renovate substandard homes. The department seeks to replace or renovate about 25 houses a year through the Housing Rehabilitation for Homeowners program.

It uses low-interest loans and grants to help eligible homeowners make renovations to their houses that they otherwise couldn't afford.

"This gives a second opportunity to see how these systems work under real-world conditions," Kennedy said. "We've been pleased with the performance of the system we installed last year and certainly we want to use the best and most affordable technologies available in our rehab projects."

The solar hot water system uses solar collectors on the roof that heat a glycol solution which then transfers that heat to water in a holding tank. The system is expected to reduce the energy needed to produce hot water by 50-90 percent depending on factors like where the home is located and the amount of hot water used in the household.

For more information about this project please contact Construction Management Supervisor, Todd Kennedy at (865) 215-4476.

For more information about Community Development Department housing programs please go to www.knoxvilletn.gov/development.