[Kenswing]

You really need to look at it two ways. Return on investment and convenience. A friend of ours just had solar heat installed for their pool. Cost was around $5,000. Now figure out how much of an energy savings you're actually realizing. How long will it take to pay off the initial investment? Will it have paid for itself before you need a new roof?

Then ask yourself if there's any convenience in having solar heat. Is it convenient to not have your gas or heat pump running? Is it less of a convenience? With added equipment comes added maintenance. More pieces in the puzzle means more chance for failures.