Archive for June, 2008

The main difference in solar hot water heating systems is where the tank is located.

On-roof Solar Hot Water Heating Systems

With on-roof or roof mounted systems, the tank is directly above the collector panels.

Hot water is lighter than cold water, so it naturally flows up into the tank (or rather gets pushed up by the colder water sinking down).

Water flow happens through the mains pressure. As hot water is taken out (from the top), new cold water flows in and gets heated up in the panels.

Using these natural physical laws makes it reliable and cheap to run.

The disadvantages: You might not like the look of the tank on the roof.

There are also some situations were the hot water would need to travel too long before reaching your shower. In such cases, a lot of water is  wasted and we recommend the split systems.

Split Solar Hot Water Heating Systems

A split system only has the collector panels on the roof. The tank is located where your current tank is.

A small electrical pump is necessary to pump the hot water down from the panels into the tank. However, the energy for the pump is offset in reduced heat losses, as the tank is more protected.

If the ideal location of the collector panels is far away from the location of the old hot water tank, a split system will result in better water usage. The reason is that the hot water is stored closer to where it is used. That means you do not have to wait for the hot water to reach your shower.

An added advantage is the in-built frost support. If the temperature falls below 0 degrees the pump automatically starts circulating the water. That brings warmer water back up to the panels so that the chances of it freezing are reduced.

The disadvantages, slightly more expensive to buy and install.

How to Decide?

When you go through the quoting process for your solar hot water heating systems, you get a choice between the two kinds of systems (where your situation makes that possible). To make the right decision, consider:

• The distance of the collector panels to the old tank (the further away, the more it makes sense to get a split system, e.g. two-story house)
• Your aesthetic preferences
• Your finances (how quickly you want to be paid through your investment)
• Future value of house. Whoever purchases the house might prefer a split system.

Some of the answers you give might rule out an on-roof system anyway, then you just need to decide on tank size.

Find Out Whether You Can Benefit From Solar Hot Water.

You can get an instant quote right now. There are 23 simple questions that lets our online calculator work out the best solution for your situation. That way you know exactly whether you can benefit from solar hot water.

Start with 1. Find System.

A survey at the World Environment Day festival at the Sunshine Coast University last Saturday by Alexander Kohl from SolarPay.com.au confirmed informal research. Even people who are concerned and interested in conservation initiatives do not realise that many green initiatives can be cost effective.

While 74% had considered solar hot water as an energy saving measure, a third has taken action. The biggest hindrance was cost (55%) with a further 11% wanted to continue using the current electrical system until it broke down.

Alexander says “Australians cannot spend a lot of money to be green, even the ones most interested in sustainability”.

“On the Sunshine Coast there are 52,000 freestanding houses that are owner occupied. If every one of those took action, we could avoid 3.1 Million tonnes of CO2.” stated Alexander.

Alexander Kohl says: “By communicating with the core group of environmental leaders, we hope to start a buzz on the Sunshine Coast that steers away from acting environmentally out of guilt and instead turns it into the only smart way to act.”

Solar hot water is highly efficient, low cost and green. Over the life of the system the user is up to $12,000 better off compared to an electric system. At the same time, 60,000kg of CO2 are saved. That is 25% of the average household emissions or equivalent to taking a small car off the road.

When many of the attendees learnt that it was possible to put in a solar hot water without any upfront costs and then use the electricity savings to repay it, they got interested.

Depending on the individual situation, they could save between $300 and $700 on the electricity bill each year. After the current rebates (which are at an all-time high), a fully installed solar hot water system can cost under $1800.

To make it easier, NAB has partnered with SolarPay.com.au to provide an instant online finance package that makes it is possible to stay cash-flow positive.

A small number of interviewees (5%) were concerned about the reliability of solar hot water. The technology has been around since the 1950. It is well matured and highly efficient. It converts over 80% of the sun’s energy into hot water.

For further details, please contact
Alexander Kohl, Director of SolarPay.com.au

One of the issues that came up in the interviews at World Environment Day was the question of the reliability of solar water heating.

Some people have experienced problems with earlier systems that did not have enough capacity to handle a few days of grey skies.

There are three components to that issue

1) Tank Size

All tanks have great insulation, so that the heat-loss over a few days is minimised. The more important factor is how much hot water is used. According to the Sustainable Energy Development Office of WA an average person uses 50 Litre of hot water per day.

The water in the tank heats up to 90 degrees in summer, but gets mixed with cold water when it comes out (to 50 degrees, so that no one gets burnt). That means a 300 Litre tank has a capacity of close to 550 Litre of 50 degree water. So for a family of four, it can last close to 3 days without any sunshine.

So the bigger the tank, the more hot water you bank.

2) Solar Water Heating Collectors

Efficiency of collectors depends on a lot of factors. We check them all on this website and then again before installation to make sure you get the best efficiency out of your system.

We use the highly efficient black chrome technology in all our split solar hot water systems. That means that even if your roof faces East or West you still only need 4-6 hours to fully heat your tank.

3) The Booster

The last element in solar water heating is the booster. It has a thermostat that is set to 60 degrees. So whenever the water temperature falls below 60 degrees, it automatically heats it up.

Some people leave the booster turned on all the time. However, I have used solar hot water for 3 years now and found that it is hardly ever necessary. We usually have it turned off and only turn it on when the fourth day of clouds is approaching.

Conclusion

Is solar hot water heating reliable? Yes absolutely. The technology is well matured since the 1950’s. It is highly efficient (up to 80% of the sun’s energy is turned into hot water) and it has a reliable backup with the booster.

World Environment Day was a great success. The SolarPay team spoke to more than 2,000 people about solar hot water. Many were astounded at the general environmental benefits as well as the personal financial benefits.

As part of the day, we conducted a survey to see what stops people from purchasing solar hot water. The positive result: 70% had considered solar hot water. However, only one third had actually taken action.

Cost was by far the biggest reason cited as to why they had not gone ahead. 55% thought it was too expensive. However, they did not realise that the current rebates are at an all-time high. And when they heard about the partnership with NAB for finance with no upfront payment, many pledged to check out this website for their options.

Visitors were intrigued with the possibility of solar hot water without any upfront costs and then using the electricity savings to repay it.

Now I am hoping that the buzz we created on the day, flows out into our community. On the Sunshine Coast there are 52,000 freestanding houses that are owner occupied. If every one of those took action, we could avoid 3.1 Million tonnes of CO2 (see solar hot water facts).

And that without spending a single additional cent, in fact each individual who gets solar hot water will be better off financially (up to $12,000) and have the full convenience of hot water.

The Queensland government has started a new program called ClimateSmart Home Service. For $50, a consultant comes into your home, does an energy audit, changes over lights to the compact fluorescent light globes (up to 15), installs a water efficient shower head and provides an energy meter that shows the electricity usage.

The program does not start until January 2009, but you can register your interest here.

According to ClimateSmart.qld.gov.au 75,000 Queenslanders have already signed up for the service. That is really amazing, but confirms that Queensland is quite advanced in energy efficiency.

During our research, we also noticed that Queensland leads the way in how many solar hot water systems are installed. In the last 8 years, it always had the highest uptake from all the Australian states. That trend continued even after the Queensland state rebate ended in 2005.

That shows that government incentives have a positive effect that flows on well into the future of the incentive.