Choosing A Solar Warm H2o System

Why Purchase and Install a Solar Warm H2o System?. Choosing to install a Solar Warm H2o System is one regarding the greatest financial decisions you can make when it returns to upgrading your home or business, and reducing your life use and cost. As I write this article, world CO2 atmospheric grades top 396ppm, and Australians are seeing at another primary cost rise within the retail price of electricity in July. In this post I discuss the different categories of solar warm h2o processes SHWSs available, within flat plates, evacuated tubes and heat pumps, and the considerations you need to take into account in choosing the greatest one for you. The banning of electric storage warm h2o processes throughout Australia during 2012 has created needing to have knowledge of what processes are available, and which shall greatest suit your home, more important than ever.

Every day your home or business keeps creating use of that old electric storage warm h2o system, is another day that you do not benefit from the decreased running costs, improved property value, and decreased CO2 emissions, provided by a well drafted and installed solar system. Subjects that I'm sure you can agree are becoming more and more important to us all. I hope you locate the details provided in this post of value, and that you shall soon join the millions of people around the globe enjoying all the benefits of solar. Types of Solar Warm H2o Systems:. Solar Warm H2o Processes return in 3 primary configurations, Close Coupled tank on roof or Split Processes tank on the ground.

I shall also discuss Heat Pumps which are seen by many as solar based technology. Close Coupled Systems. These release decreased running costs excluding boosting as they do not need any electricity to move the h2o from the collector to the storage tank, receiving advantage of natural thermosiphoning. The trade-off is a bulker unit with higher system mass on the roof. For example, a 300L storage tank holds 300kg of h2o + tank and collector weight.

Configuration Kind 2:. Split Processes have the collector on the roof and the storage tank located somewhere else- normally on the ground. Split Processes need the use of solar pumps and controllers to monitor temperatures, and move h2o from the collector s to the storage tank. This does involve mini amounts of life being used -- normally around 28-60 watts per hour for up to 8+ hours a day. The first widely available Solar Warm H2o Processes in Australia were drafted in Western Australia method return in 1953 by Solarhart, with their flat plate technology.

This became the standard creation for SHWSs for the next 40 years. Flat plates use a huge collector surface to pick up the Sun's heat with h2o pipes embedded within the collector to transfer heat. The collector surface is protected by a sheet of glass or glass that generally offers little to no insulation. In the mid-1970s the University of Sydney developed evacuated tube processes but it was to be another 25 years prior to evacuated tubes became widely available in Australia. This technology gives the highest performance per sq.

available to the domestic market. Evacuated tubes take advantage regarding the natural insulation properties of a vacuum, which allows heat. to enter the glass tube, but then does not let that heat to escape return into the atmosphere. The use of a vacuum also gives evacuated tubes natural frost protection, with no need for antifreeze additives like glycol that should possibly reduce performance by up to 10%, and make ongoing maintenance needs. Because the evacuated tubes are round, passive tracking regarding the sun throughout the sky allows a huge collection surface to be perpendicular to the sun and give greater performance.

Naturally frost protected below to -10C or greater. Passive sun tracking for greater performance. Little on roof weight. Modern stylish design. No Glycol antifreeze needed.

Are Heat Pumps really solar systems?. But whether you have knowledge of primary shading issues they can be a best alternative life efficient solution. While heat pumps not ever use the direct radiant life from the sun as most flat plate and evacuated tube processes do, they do derive a huge percentage of their life from the heat on the atmosphere that is created by the sun. Heat pumps use a compressor to extract heat from the atmosphere and transfer the heat into a h2o storage tank. It does this very efficiently with a typical system producing about 3kw of rated life for every 1kw of power used at around 20C.

Does not need direct sunlight. Can even be located in permanent shade. No on-roof installation. More efficient than electric storage systems, even at little temperatures. Can take advantage of waste heat from such things as roof spaces and plant rooms.

Are rebated by some government agencies and renewable life programs. Decreased installation costs than on-roof systems. Reduction in Life Use. Heating your home's warm h2o is on average around 30% regarding the total no. of life used by domestic homes each year, and together with the rising price of electricity now a primary factor in household budgets, moving to solar warm h2o should be at the top of people's home upgrade choices list.

We ponder that, by 2020, the price of electricity shall be threefold what it is today,. Origin Life Chief Executive- The Australian 14 or 04 or 2010. Example of likely return on invest factoring. in a 10%pa rise within the price of energy. Replacing an old electric HWS with a SHWS should reduce your HW life costs by up to 90%, as well as adding price to your home.

A natural gas boosted evacuated tube system offers the lowest running costs but does return at a higher price for purchase and installation. Savings for an average family of 4 in Australia is estimated to be over $700 p. , and saves about 4 tonnes of CO2 if replacing an electric boosted warm h2o running on primary tariff power. That can equate to well over a 15% return on your investment ROI. Replacing an old electric HWS with a solar warm h2o system could.

Reduce your warm h2o life consumption by up to 90%. Sum price to your home. Rebates still available Look Solar Warm H2o Rebates. Decreased you greenhouse gas emissions. Can release a distant greater ROI over other investment options.

The Moral Roof Orientation:. Solar orientation is one regarding the biggest factors effecting solar warm h2o performance. Within the southern hemisphere, a SHWS's moral orientation is due North, together with the reverse being true within the northern hemisphere. The distant an procedure is from due north, the fewer life it shall be can harness. Not all technologies handle possessing their orientation off true north as well as others.

Evacuated tubes with their cylindrical tube creation let for greater performance over flat plates, as the degree of orientation from true north increases right up to 90 with minimal performance loss. The pitch of your roof does affect the performance of a solar warm h2o system, and should be taken into account when designing any system. In Australia, typical domestic roof pitch is between 22. 5 and 25, but many homes hold a higher or decreased roof pitch. Generally the higher the roof's pitch, the better winter performance shall be, and is recommended over decreased pitches that increase summer performance.

To locate the optimum pitch for your SHWS, take the latitude regarding the home location, then sum between 10-20. To comply with AS or NZS 3500. 4:2003, a collector's incline angle of deviation is not to be greater than 20 from the latitude regarding the installation location. : Canberra lies at a latitude of 35, so the optimum winter angle should be 55. For roofs that have pitches decreased than 20, you should have the system placed on a frame to raise the pitch to the optimum angle.

The more price regarding the frame shall higher than be created up for by the increased performance regarding the system. Shading Considerations:. The shading of a solar warm h2o system has the lone biggest effect on the performance regarding the system throughout the year. You should always try to have the unit installed in a location where there is minimal or no shading. Trees are one regarding the 3 primary causes of shading and typically hold a best effect during winter when the sun is decreased to the horizon.

Trees are generally only a primary issue in winter, and deciduous trees are better than native Australian trees that do not drop their leaves during winter. Trees in most cases shall be cropped or removed to release better solar access, but this does depend on factors for example property ownership etc. Buildings of 3 stories or more in height that are adjacent to the solar warm h2o system can hold a dramatic and permanent impact on performance, and should be taken into account prior to proceeding with any installation. If shading is an issue and another location for the installation cannot be found, then Heat Push technology should be thought about as it does not rely on direct heat from the sun. Owners of homes that lie in valleys where there is the likelihood of significant shading during winter months in particular, should think about carefully prior to choosing to install an on-roof solar warm h2o system.

This kind of situation is another good candidate for Heat Push technology. In parts where frost and snow are factors during winter, not all solar warm h2o processes are the same. Whether you live in a frost-prone area, careful consideration should be provided as to which technology to employ. Evacuated tubes have by creation passive frost protection, and typically handle temperatures below to -10C - 15C with no loss in performance, or more need for frost protection. Quality evacuated tubes not ever have any h2o passing through the glass tubes themselves, and are protected by the vacuum region regarding the tube, which does not let heat to escape return into the atmosphere.

Most evacuated tube processes do have some shape of frost protection built in for the piping that pumps mini amounts of h2o from the storage tank to the collector drops during periods of below zero temperatures. Flat plates typically had no insulation between the glass and collector surface, and as such have compulsory some shape of active frost protection. Older flat plate processes used heating elements within the collector, that heated the h2o when temperatures dropped below 0c. Heating elements use significant amounts of energy, and negate many regarding the solar benefit. Most flat plate processes use Glycol as antifreeze to stay away from freezing the collector s, and this does return at a performance loss of up to 10%.

Glycol also requires maintenance throughout its life at more price to home owner, and lack of maintenance shall in many cases void warranties. Over the past couple of years hybrid processes creating use of combinations of flat plate and heat pipe technology have started to enter the market, and release distant better performance over glycol flat plate systems. Backup Booster options:. All solar warm h2o processes need some shape of backup booster. This is due to the fact that there exists times throughout the year when even the very greatest solar warm h2o system is not can supply h2o at the desired temperature.

Backup boosters return in 3 primary forms, Electric Element or Gas. Gas-boosted solar warm h2o processes return in a little different configurations, which one you decide shall depend on your situation. Condensing natural gas boosters are the highest many efficient systems, as they only heat h2o coming from storage if the h2o heat is below a set level. Gas storage processes hold a burner within the base regarding the tank,that shall use more life than condensing gas systems, but shall be a fewer costly choice initially. In parts were natural gas is not available, bottled LPG shall be used for most storage and instant gas systems, but does have higher running costs.

Electric-boosted processes typically use a heating element to heat any h2o that is not can reach moral operating temperatures. Most elements draw around 3. 6kw per hour, and do need manage on the times of day the booster shall return on, so as not to compete together with the solar collector. It is recommended that the electric booster be connected to Off-Peak power that only allows for boosting during the night. If off-peak is not available then a timer shall be used.

Many Life utilities release different Off-peak plans, be sure not to select a system that allows for boosting during daylight hours. All SHWSs in Australia should be installed by a licenced plumber or gas fitter, and comply with all state and territory codes and standards. Not all plumbers are the same, and one should always decide a plumber or installer that has skills development together with the technology you choose, as each technology has its own specific requirements. Tempered solar warm water. All new warm h2o processes in Australia are compulsory by law to be tempered to a maximum of 50C to all bathrooms within the home; this is done by creating use of a tempering valve that mixes cold h2o into the warm h2o line, to achieve the desired temperature.

This is a well-being feature drafted to protect babies and adults from accidental scalding. A high quality solar system can have warm h2o temperatures as high as 90C during summer. Laundries and kitchens shall be untempered but is not recommended and returns at more cost. Solar rated Insulation. Installations in cold or frost prone parts should always use quality solar rated pipe insulation lagging, not only for any pipework exposed to the atmosphere, but also on any pipework inside walls and roof cavities.

When installing a close coupled solar warm h2o system in or on your roof, it's advisable to confirm if the roof structure can handle the substantial extra mass of these systems. The mass shall be in excess of 500kg+. If mass is a difficulty then a Split System should be used, giving a many decreased on-roof weight. Solar Warm H2o Rebates:. Solar Warm H2o Rebates have been widely available from Local, State, Territory and Federal Governments, like a method of encouraging the uptake of solar that typically have higher purchase and installation costs.

Rebates are generally only available for done processes that have been tested by accredited testing laboratories. Over the past little years we saw the peak on rebates for SHWSs reached, with combinations of rebates from different governments sometimes being available. Recently we have seen a reduction in available rebates, as well like a reduction in rebate values, as new building codes, the banning of older technologies like electric storage warm h2o processes etc is implemented. In many cases one or more rebates should be available and your retailer should be can give you together with the full details of all rebates for solar warm h2o in your area. In Australia the Federal Government has set up a testing and approval program for processes classed as solar warm h2o or heat pumps, and applies Renewable Life Certificates STC's based on the tested efficiency of each system.

STC's can only be created once an procedure was installed. STCs can then be sold on the REC-registry market in return for a dollar amount. The price of each STC is based on market forces, and varies over time. Example of STC's on price of system. Total STC price $1020.

System price subsequent to STC's $2980. The rising price of life is increasingly putting compression on households. With or without rebates, installing a solar warm h2o system on your home is fast becoming two of greatest changes you can make to reduce your electricity and gas costs, offering a best return on your investment. The Economics of Solar Warm Water:. The savings created by installing a solar warm h2o system, and the Return on Investment ROI achieved, vary from family to family, location to place, and system to system.

But to release a simple example, if an procedure price $4000 all-up to purchase and install, and saves your family $700 within first year,. That is a tax-free Return ROI of 17. If your marginal tax rate is 40%, you would need to obtain a 29% pre-tax ROI elsewhere to match your solar warm h2o investment. There aren't many of those around. That is just your ROI in Year One.

Every year electricity goes up, so does your ROI. Thank you for receiving the time to view this post on choosing a solar warm h2o system. I hope you located it informative. I have been involved within the design, sales and installation of solar warm h2o processes for over 8 years. With the need to address global warming, the introduction of carbon taxes, and compression on our aging utility infrastructure, installing a solar warm h2o system is not a only a best investment for your home or business, but also for the wider community.