SolarPay News Feed
Hot water heater installation in Australia
Despite growth in population and the number of households in Australia, the amount of energy we use to heat water is falling. This is because various Government incentive schemes encourage installing energy efficient hot water systems and discourage inefficient models. For example, Queensland has banned the installation of electric hot water systems from 2010.
As around 80% of Australian homes still have electric hot water systems, each of which has a expected lifespan of 10 years, many Australians will be faced with choosing alternative systems in the next few years.
Consider these facts when deciding the best hot water heater.
Tank size
Estimate your daily hot water consumption. Around 50 litres per person is the average, which is usually mixed with cold water as it is used (60-70% hot water mixed with 30-40% cold). The demand for hot water varies by household, depending on use of things like spa baths, dishwashers, clothes washers, and the water efficiency of those appliances.
The more people in the house, the bigger the tank. If your dishwasher draws on hot water (instead of heating its own), count it as an additional person. Similarly, if your washing machine draws hot water from the tank, it needs to be taken into consideration.
Solar only heats the water while the sun shines, so a larger tank is need compared with electric. Here is a guide:
Number of people Solar hot water storage
1-3 250 litre
3-4 315 litre
5-6 400 litres
Heat pumps replenish faster than solar hot water systems – only about 30 minutes to heat 50 litres of water – so tank size is not really an issue.
Your roof and home
Solar panels work best when they are on a roof facing north. West-facing is also fine, but if you put them facing east, you can expect reduced performance. South-facing is not suitable.
Where a roof in unsuitable for solar panels, other choices need to be made. Again, depending on your situation, gas hot water may be the best option for you. We recommend electric heat pumps where the roof isn’t suitable for panels: they are energy-efficient and are often a simple and straightforward replacement for an electric system.
You also need to consider the placement of the tank.
Running costs and efficiency
All solar water systems at some time need to be boosted, e.g. in extended periods of cloudy weather or high water usage, and boosting is responsible for your running costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
Running costs will be minimised if the system is set to the recommended 60 degrees.
The Federal Government has made comparing the efficiency of hot water systems simple for householders. They have allocated a number of RECs (Renewable Energy Certificates) to each hot water system. One REC represents one megawatt hour (MWh) of energy that system will save under normal domestic use over 10 years. So the more RECs, the better the system.
We have chosen our solar hot water systems and heat pumps because they provide very good RECs and therefore reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Our obligation-free online system will recommend the best system for your circumstances and quote a price that takes into account the current price of RECs.
Related Topics
- How to tell a quality solar power installation
The airwaves are currently pulsing with more warnings about possible dangers in products used in the Federal Government’s green home schemes. While there is a lot of talk, the Clean... - What you need to know about the installation process
So you’ve done the research, selected your system, placed your order and now it’s time for your solar system to be installed. The installation should create little disruption to the... - Rebate for solar hot water changes in NSW
The NSW Government has just decreased (on 15 January 2010) the rebate they pay on solar hot water systems and heat pumps, proving once again that if a rebate is...