Ever wonder why your neighbor's pool is swimmable in early May while yours still feels like iced tea, even though you both have solar panels installed on the roof? This confusion is not a result of marketing fluff, but it is two different concepts behind similar names. Solar thermal pool heating heats water using the sun. Solar pool panels are just the collectors that capture the sunlight. Choosing the wrong cooling or plumbing options can lead to overspending, poor heating,