my experience switching to solar-heated water at home

A noticeable drop in bills would make the installation hassle feel more worthwhile to me, but I’d still weigh it against the upfront cost over time. A lower bill is encouraging; by itself, it doesn’t tell you how long it’ll take for the savings to offset what you paid.

Which parts of the online guides felt hit or miss - did they set unrealistic expectations about the installation, or leave out details you needed along the way?

Those two gaps would make the hassle feel different: unrealistic expectations could leave someone underprepared for how involved the job is, while missing practical steps could make an otherwise manageable job confusing as it unfolds. I’d find a guide more reassuring if it made both the likely scope and the points where a homeowner may need help clear.

For anyone trying to judge the savings, was that drop compared with bills from a similar season? Water-heating use can vary across the year, so a seasonal comparison might make it easier to tell how much the heater contributed.

Comparing the same season before and after would be more informative than comparing adjacent bills, since hot-water use can change through the year. It still wouldn’t isolate the heater perfectly: changes in household routines or electricity rates could also affect the total.

I’d put the financial payback first, as you suggest, but I wouldn’t make it the only measure: if the environmental benefit matters to someone, a slower payback could still feel worthwhile. The key is being clear about that trade-off rather than expecting the bill savings alone to justify the upfront cost.

I’d expect the hassle to feel easier to justify in a home that uses a lot of hot water, since there may be more room for bill savings; with lower use, simplicity might matter more. Which way that balance falls depends on the household, though - not just on whether the bill dropped noticeably.

I’d weigh the actual bill change more when judging whether the hassle paid off: high hot-water use suggests room for savings, but doesn’t show how much this system delivered. I’d treat the usage level as a reason to expect potential, then look for a sustained bill difference before calling it worthwhile.