Anyone has any thoughts on evacuated tubes or Solahart Powerstore Hot Water System…
We have solar panels and winters very cool /foggy /icy days. No issues with solar hot water in summer of course.
Would appreciate Choice community experiences.
I installed an iStore system https://i-heat.com.au/hot-water-systems/solar-hot-water/heatpump/istore-180l-hot-water-system
No problems with keeping hot water. Slightly different system but certainly close to free hot water.
Evacuated tubes are a very efficient way to heat water from the sun, and are suitable for Australian subzero temperatures. This erbsite may have some useful information for you:
The only concern I would have is if you are located in an area where there are frequent storms with potentially have largish sized hail.
Looking at this, it is principally a system that directs excess PV solar generation (if one has such) to heat water. If one uses less than what is generated through the day by a PV system (say one works and is away from home), this possibly could in part be also easily achieved by installing a HW system timer on the switchboard for a few hundred dollars (a cheaper proposition than the Solarhart system). A switch would work with a electric storage type HW system or an electric boost solar HW system.
I see similar, however it is inspired and does offer some advantages over a simple timer circuit. In reality it is a standard electric resistance hot water system, with a smart controller.
The product is intended for a home with solar PV plus a compatible HEMS, (Home Energy Management System). The second item is something most home solar PV owners will also need to purchase. The smart switch needs to monitor the output of the home Solar PV system, and how much of that output is being consumed in the home and available for export.
The controller responds when the home PV system is exporting to the grid. It turns the HWS on and effectively diverts this power that would have been exported to heating your hot water. The difference compared to a simple timer is the ability to limit/control how much of the power is used. IE limit the draw to equal or less than the power available for export.
The system can also be set to top up using off peak power from the grid if the household is on a TOU tariff or has a suitable off peak/controlled load supply.
As a product it could be sold as an add on to any existing electric resistance hot water heater. There is no saving in the electrical energy required compared to a standard HWS. It does offer a another way to increase self consumption of rooftop solar PV, at a premium cost.
A clever marketing strategy for a switch, inspired puffery, ground breaking technology, a product that pretends to be more than it is, or ……?
I’d not buy one. A similar product could be sold as an add on to any electric resistance HWS installed in a home with Solar PV. There is a hidden/extra cost for most on purchasing and installing metered power monitoring. Solar PV owners who have export control (home batteries typically) typically have the ability.
Worth Choice looking at with fresh eyes, @BrendanMays. It’s marketing genius might just be it’s one true achievement.
P.S.
There is ‘No Battery’, which to most is likely misleading. It’s a thermal energy storage system. It does not produce electrical energy. It only consumes it.
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Thanks everyone for your advice. Yes things are greatly changed in ten years.
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