We're trying to figure out what our
solar needs will be for two off-grid yurts we'll be building and living in this spring in central New York. Someone mentioned that, generally speaking, using electricity to heat things (e.g.,
water) is pretty inefficient and takes a ton of
energy. I was looking at some electric tankless on-demand water heaters that do seem pretty high in their energy needs (e.g., ranging from 9 to 27kW of electricity). Do people have other recommendations for heating water? The bit I read about rocket mass water heaters makes it seem out of my reach...
I've seen many off-grid people using tankless propane water heaters but we have an aversion to propane (because it's a fossil fuel and just nervous about the safety of it for indoor use in terms of fumes and flammability) – though maybe propane is the way to go....
Any suggestions? Thanks!