Solar Hot Water

[Martin4]

Curious to gauge peoples opinions on solar hot water systems. I live in S/W Gippsland -so who is a highly recommended installer that is prepared to travel { ?] and what brands seem to be the best { ?].ie performance reliability cost installation.
Cheers Martin

[phb]

@Martin4

Curious to gauge peoples opinions on solar hot water systems.

When we lived in Brisbane, we swore by our solar hot water system (SHWS). It was a 315 Aquamax with 2 collector panels (rebadged as Conenergy).

Our how water cost us next to nothing each year (no more than $3-4).

Our system was a lo larger than what we needed on a day to day basis which worked out better for us. It meant that we would have water 2-3 days/3-4 days in winter/summer if there was no sunshine. This meant that we didn’t need to boost very often and why our how water costs were extremely low.

If one has solar PV with a low FIT (that only the energy supplied to the network is reimbursed), then it is worth exploring a timer for your meter board. One can set the time to boost only at times when PV generation is usually at a peak (depending on the orientation the panels) and then it may be possible to reduce SHWS costs even more.

If I were to install a new system in Tassie (where we now live), I would opt for the more expensive stainless steel storage tanks. These have an long life and should over the life of the SHWS result in cheaper overall costs.

Unfortunately can’t help with installers in Victoria, but other may. If you know of anyone who has SHWS in your local area, it may be worth asking who installed it, what make, model and tank capacity was installed and how it has performed. This may give you a better insight to what may be needed to meet your own household demand and also reliable local installers.

[grahroll]

There are a number of topics where information can be found on Solar Hot water systems. I suggest that doing a search on solar hot water might pay dividends for you. Sadly it is hard to bring them altogether for you but as a start:

Apricus system for hot water?

I’m looking to replace gas with solar hot water. Two of my quotes say ‘Apricus’ is the system to choose. When I googled this make I got some good and some bad reviews (50/50 nearly). I would be especially interested in any Central Qld owners’ reviews of this system: how long you’ve had it, how many break-downs, how many days without hot water and how did your warranty perform?

Household electricity consumption for hot water

A great option if the site suits, with a 300l storage tank very generous for just two. We managed a family of 5 with a similar sized solar HW system. The electric booster was connected to off peak (night rate). It was easy to monitor how well the solar HW performed. We usually left the power to the booster element turned off. It was only during prolonged periods of heavy cloud and wet that the booster was needed. Depending on where you are flat plate HW collector which is cheaper than evacuate…

How quickly do solar panels pay for themselves?

Solar PV panels have an advantage and a reasonable payback around 3-5years depending on the size installed, but the real savings come from solar/heatpump hot water systems. I have used solar roof top panels for 30 years and about 5 years ago upgraded the HWS to heat pump model and my annual hot water bill is around $50, whereas if using a standard hot water service it typically would be around $400-$600pa depending on the number of kids home. Also at the moment if you hunt around you can get n…

Replacing Gas Hot Water and Heating

I have a small, older brick house in Melbourne with: Gas ducted heating (big winter bills) Gas hot water system (old) 4KW solar system I’m interested in any opinions of what to do when it comes to replace the gas hot water system: Just replace with another standalone gas, solar or electric hot water system Switch hot water to electric and replace the gas ducted heating with a ducted electric split system Heat pump? Other? Has anyone gone through a similar situation? Cheers Adam

Solar passive house: How to choose appliances

The approach that is most intellectually appealing to me, especially since you have a greenfields opportunity, is a suitably sized solar array with batteries sufficient to ideally last days if necessary, and electric everything. If you have sufficient roof area solar hot water and pool heating would make sense to possibly lessen battery capacity required. Re lighting, if you are running everything from your own solar power it comes down to aesthetics and personal preferences, noting anything …

Saving Electricity

Would replacing the kettle for a ‘Zip’ hot water, if you have solar hot water installed, be a cost-effective solution in reducing costs? Would the initial expense of purchasing installing a ‘Zip’ be worthwhile in the long term?

Hot Water System sacrificial anodes

I installed and assembled my solar 30 evacuated tube HWS about 8 years ago, so it is about time to inspect the sacrificial anode (which is Magnesium metal). My tank is stainless steel and has only had rainwater in it, which is slightly acidic (pH <6), but with minimal hardness. It will be interesting to see how much the anode has corroded.

Ergon Energy - why monopolies are a bad thing

If you get rid of the HWS meter and put it all on residential, you could save part of the fixed charges. Adding a solar hot water system (if you have a HW tank in good working order, you really only need an evacuated tube manifold and pump, and no extra tank) would almost eliminate electric element heating. PV solar might then be worthwhile. PV should cover a large percentage of loads such as air conditioning.

What are YOU doing to save the planet?

I agree with @mark_m that is not necessary what one gives up, but what things does one to to minimise one’s environmental or carbon footprint. It is also not necessarily about saving the planet, but being conscious of the decisions one makes in everyday life, to make the future hopefully better than the past. Giving something up is a negative, doing something differently is a positive. It is also refreshing to see that @bottville recognises that minimising one’s footprint starts at home and th…

How quickly do solar panels pay for themselves?

This depends very much on where you live. We’ve had solar hot water panels for the past 30+ years, and they work really well for us. We are in Brisbane, which helps .While I have quantified our savings with our PV panels (17.5% return), I havent done the same for the hot water. I do know that we very rarely have to use the electric power booster for the hot water. It’s probably about six months since we required any electric power at all, and that was for maybe a couple of hou…

Call out to receive the cost of service

Maybe. You will also wait while the heater turns on and heats up in addition to the wait while it comes through the pipes. So quite a lot of cold water is going down the drain until you put the plug in. This can be really annoying when you are cooking and want little bursts of hot water, as the machine turns off and cools down in between so you keep waiting each time. You can have the situation that the water at the hot tap gets colder before it gets hotter as cold water is fed into the ho…

Some of the links may be more relevant than others but I hope they help.

[cmpmal]

We’re in Ashwood in inner South-Eastern Melbourne. We bought a Thermann evacuated tube solar water system about 4 years ago and couldn’t be happier. Michael Lomas, a plumber who lives to the west of Melbourne, installed it for us.

It was about $6000, but (bearing in mind we have 3 teenagers) on top of the ‘service to property’ charge, we don’t pay more than about $5/month in gas.

Best of all, if you turn off the gas booster, for most of spring / summer / autumn, you can survive with just the pre-heated water from the system.

A very very astute purchase.

[Snowey]

Hi! which is the best solar hot water system for cool climates.

[PhilT]

Welcome to the Community @Snowey,

Choice has published some general information and solar HWS has been discussed a bit, so I merged your query.

How to buy the best hot water system | CHOICE

@Snowey

which is the best

and a focused one on solar HWS

How to buy the best solar hot water system | CHOICE

The context of a ‘cool climate’ could be different from a sunny or cloudy one, ie at altitude it could be cool yet very sunny and amenable to solar HW production. In contrast Melbourne vicinity is a cool climate with lots of ‘cool’ cloud formations on most days, making solar anything a different proposition - noting we have lots of PV and solar HWS systems in the region. But that was not your explicit query.

We have a few members with relevant experience and knowledge, but could you be more specific with the location of interest?

[Snowey]

Thanks PhilT for the information.
We live in North Central Victoria about 500 metre above sea level. Get lots of -1 nights causing issues with solar hot water. Need advice on how to get a more efficient model.
Kind regards

[syncretic]

I can’t compare all systems but I hope I can give some help.

The standard approach is to have the tank on the roof on top of the panels so that the hot water circulates by convection. When you turn on the hot tap the cold water goes in the bottom the hot comes out the top and the system keeps going. If things overheat a pressure valve releases on the roof and the water released goes down the gutter. There is an electric heating element so you can have hot water after several days of cloudy/cold weather. This is fairly simple with few moving parts. However everything is on the roof including a heavy tank.

The high tech approach is to put the tank on the ground and the panels on the roof. Since the tank is lower than the panels you need a pump to circulate the water as convection won’t work. This needs control circuits and electricity. Not so simple and more parts and equipment. If the power is off you can’t circulate water.

Neither system is cheap and you might want to consider if in the long run having solar PV power and heating water with a heat pump is going to be better. One advantage of such a system is you can control when water is heated and thus increase your use of your own power. It is much more efficient to use your own power when it is generated than sell it cheaply to the network and buy it back expensively when you need it. No doubt the energy capture of solar HW and solar PV per square metre of panels are different but I don’t have the figures. There are many variables to consider in this choice including the capital cost of all the gear required, performance and maintenance.

Solar hot water needs heat, mainly in the form of infra-red from the sun. Solar PV needs light but not heat. I haven’t done the sums but different climates may well favour one or the other.

I went with the roof tank and bought a Solarhart. I was happy with the installation and it has performed flawlessly since. My main reason was simplicity and low maintenance and that the company has been in the game for decades whereas the others had not. YMMV.

[phb]

@Snowey

Need advice on how to get a more efficient model.

Generally evacuated tube systems are better than flat panel systems in higher, colder areas. This PDF document gives an indication in the difference in efficiencies.

However, if you have regular subzero temperatures, the system needs to be designed to cater for potential water freezing in the system…to protect the system from freezing which can cause damage. This website provides some information on different cold weather systems …

What Kind of Solar Hot Water Heater Is Best for My Climate? | Modernize

[cmpmal]

We live in metro Melbourne and have a 30 tube evacuated tube solar hot water system with gas booster. I bought it about 5 years ago and it cost about $6000. We have mum and dad and two teens (one of whom takes very long showers) and it costs us about $1/day for hot water now (service to property charge on top of that of course).

In general, I’m super happy with this purchase.