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Solar Hot Water SystemsLast modified: September 11, 2009 - 12:41 AM
Buying a solar hot water system can be a daunting task with cost savings, unit type, installation, system efficiency, life span and rebate reliability at the top of the question list. It is important to buy the right system for your needs to gain full financial benefit and system efficiency for your area. Cost & Savings Water heating accounts for 20 to 30 % of a household energy use, therefore there is a significant saving to be made in running cost. Cost savings when changing to a solar hot water system depend upon the type of system installed, system efficiency for your areas climatic zone, system life span, resident numbers and energy type available for booster mechanisms. Consumer habits should also influence your choice of booster energy allocation, especially in relation to electricity rate. By choosing a peak energy rate allocation for your solar system you will maintain a continual boosted hot water service during the day, instead of relying on solar energy, where as with the off peak electricity rate boosters will be activate at night, keeping energy costs low. To help evaluate the cost of purchasing and installing a new solar hot water system in relation to expected financial forecasting of your bills go to www.energysmart.com.au/les/calc/calc.asp. This calculator allows you to enter the specific detail on the type of solar hot water system you are looking at, the related installation and purchase price quote, the chosen tariff ratings of energy use you are considering and the number of people within the household. It calculates the running cost to installation cost ratio in a graphical presentation. The overall cost of your hot water will depend on the type of solar system and fuel booster chosen, the way that the system is installed and your consumer habits, with big consumers benefiting the most from the conversion to solar water heating. Type There are two types of technology available: flat-plate collectors and evacuated tubes. Both these systems have a place in the Australian market, as we have a large range of climatic zones. Evacuated tubes are the recommended type for colder climates, as they are more efficient at capturing and transferring heat, perform well in overcast conditions and have fewer corrosive problems (www.energymatters.com.au, www.solavis.com.au). Although the initial outlay for evacuated tube systems is higher than flat-plate collectors. It is also important to consider the weight of a system and the capacity of your roof to hold this weight. The Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator provides a register of solar water heaters. This lists manufacturers, model types and the accredited Renewable Energy Certificate of a model related to the different climatic zones of Australia. The Southern Highlands is located in a Zone 3. (www.orer.gov.au) System Efficiency Proper installation is essential for a solar system to run efficiently. The ideal installation of a unit for the Southern Highlands is on a north facing roof on a pitched angle of between 28 - 32 degrees. Efficiency will also correspond to how energy use is managed within a household. In some solar hot water models the booster can be controlled by either a timer / switch, or off peak / peak electricity connections helping to regulate costs. In the cooler times of the year, the booster will be used more often and may even need to be left on. In summer boosting would be reduced. All gas water heaters and solar water heaters with gas boosters display energy star ratings labels for further comparison. System Life Span Since 1997 solar water heaters have been sold with a guarantee of 12 years and an expected lifespan approaching 20 years. An evacuated tube system has been operated and monitored by the University of NSW since 1978 and in 1998 was still achieving 85% of its original performance with the only maintenance being the replacement of the electric booster element (G.L. Morrison, 1998) Rebate Reliability Traditional electric hot water systems are being phased out, with all new homes requiring solar, heat pump or gas systems. NSW state rebates are targeted at households with electric hot water heaters, with a maximum of $1,600 available. If you have already claimed the ceiling insulation rebate for a household you are not eligible for the state rebates. Solar Water rebates are directly related to the number of Renewable Energy Certificates (REC’s) allocated to a system. So the higher the REC’s for a system the greater the rebate you will receive. REC’s also relate to the efficiency of a system and changes within climatic zones. The chart relating to this grant can be found at www.environment.nsw.gov.au/rebates/ccfhwstcc.htm. You can also gain another rebate through selling the associated REC’s of the Solar Hot Water System you have installed. Contacts for sale can be found at http://www.orer.gov.au/publications/agents.html, or you may find that the company you purchased your system from is a REC’s Agent. The REC’s Registry site www.rec-registry.gov.au also contains information required to gain the associated financial benefits of putting power back into the grid from renewable energy sources produced from home. Some manufactures have web sites that allow you to calculate the rebates you will gain on purchasing a solar water heater. It should be noted that a rebate is only available to those who pay the full cost of the system up front and will only be allocated once the system has been purchased and installed
With the majority of Australian Power stations being coal generated it is inevitable that electricity prices will rise over the life span of a new solar system. Issues relating to climate change are extreme and deserve our attention, including the melting of the northern and southern poles, the development of desert landscapes in our central agricultural regions and the bleaching of our coral reefs. Decentralising our need to rely on others and taking personal responsibility for personal change is how we can develop strong communities if code red climate change occurs. The large scale implementation of solar water heaters will result in significant displacement of electricity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we all have to start somewhere. http://www.yourhome.gov.au/technical/fs65.html http://www.yourhome.gov.au/buyersguide/bg6.html Graham L. Morrison, 1998: Solar Water heater Contribution to Greenhouse Gas Abatement. University of NSW Contact details |
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