Solar Hot Water
Using the sun’s energy to heat water will save you energy, lower your hot water bills and reduce greenhouse pollution. Solar water systems work effectively in Victoria using mature and established technology. You can convert almost any existing gas or electric water service to solar. Using the sun’s energy to heat water can reduce your household water bills by more than 60% each year, that’s a saving of around $200 each year for the average family. This could add up to thousands of dollars saved over the lifetime of the system. Solar hot water systems also help conserve our natural resources and the environment. Converting an existing electric water heater to solar reduces as much greenhouse pollution as taking one car off the road. Victorians have access to 15% more solar energy than Barcelona in sunny Spain and the same amount as North Africa, disproving the myth that Victoria’s climate cannot support solar power. Solar water heaters are generally equipped with gas or electric boosters to ensure you are never without hot water. Technology advances in recent years mean systems are now 20% more efficient than their counterpart of 30 years ago and frost problems have now been eliminated.
How does it work ?
Solar hot water systems use the sun’s energy to heat water in much the same way as water in a hose left on the lawn gets hot on a sunny day. In a direct heating system, water is heated as it circulates through flat, glazed panels (solar collectors), located on the roof of a house. The water heated is then stored in an insulated storage tank, located either directly above the collectors or on the ground like a conventional hot water system. An auxiliary heater is also included in the system to boost water temperature on days when solar energy may be insufficient to meet all your hot water requirements. Boosters may be run on off-peak electricity, gas (natural or LPG) or solid fuel. Solar collectors typically consist of a blackened metal absorber plate within a glazed and insulated metal box (flat-plate collector). Pipes attached to the absorber plate carry the liquid that is heated by the sun. Collectors should be positioned on a north facing roof and a standard roof pitch is usually sufficient. Other roof orientations may also be suitable provided the unit is mounted on a frame to face north. At Mr Solar we are proud of our involvement with the solar water heating industry and have been supplying, installing and servicing solar hot water systems since 1996. In that time we have installed in excess of 500 new systems and attended to the service and maintenance requirements of users in the South East Melbourne region. Mr Solar uses licensed and registered plumbers and electricians to carry out all installation work.
Environmentally Friendly
Without a solar water heater, 100% of the energy you need to heat water must come from some form of purchased fossil fuel and indirectly this causes air pollution as well as using a resource which is finite. A Solar Hot Water System will not only save you money by providing hot water free from the sun, but you’ll be playing your part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere (up to 4.5 tonnes per annum). Wouldn’t it be great if everyone had a solar hot water system, the world would be a much cleaner place. In Australia, it has been shown that if all the users of electric water heaters were to convert to solar, a massive 20% reduction of present greenhouse gas emissions would result. No doubt this figure is similar in other parts of the world. The environmental benefit is clear. This fact has been taken up by governments around the world who have endorsed solar hot water systems as an important means of controlling greenhouse gas emissions.
System Options
We have a broad range of ground and roof mounted models to suit any family’s needs. All models are available in both electric and on- demand gas boosted configurations – you’ll have hot water even on the cloudiest days.
Electric Booster
This booster, whilst much more powerful, is not unlike the element in a domestic kettle, operating in much the same way. Many people ask about how they should use their booster switch. Depending on where you live and how much hot water you use, your solar hot water system can usually provide around 80% of all your hot water from the sun’s free energy. On those days when there’s insufficient solar energy, your booster will maintain hot water temperature. During these conditions, our advise is to leave your booster switched on all the time. This doesn’t mean it’s costing you more to run. It automatically cuts in and provides supplementary energy when the water temperature drops below a preset temperature and cuts out again when the correct temperature is reached.
On-Demand Gas Booster
The On-Demand gas booster has been designed to ensure you get all the benefits of a solar hot water with the convenience of on-demand gas boosting – giving you piping hot water whenever you need it – all year round.