geordiebloke

Right, my old gas water heater looks like it has died.

Can anybody give me an idea as to how much it will cost to get
a new solar hot water system and how long it normally takes from
placing your order to installation.

Any info on companies which come recommended in Perth NOR, would also
be appreciated.

Cheers

Steve

ABCDiamond

You can get the heat pump hot water systems, which can be installed very quickly, same day, by any plumber/electrician. Mine was about $3,000 before my rebate.

Not sure about any solar rebates on this, as one of the conditions is: "The system must replace an existing electric storage hot water system."

mulben

Gas hot water is still very cheap
Solar will set you back approx. $4 - $5,000 as your not replacing elec. but you still get RECs (renewable energy certificates )

look up Edwards http://www.edwards.com.au/

geordiebloke

Just spoke with the guy from Edwards, he quoted $3900, after $1007 rebate
for an electric boosted solar system.
300L tank and he said it costs around $12 per year to use for the average family.

Does this sound like a good deal, couldn't find anywhere else open to compare.

Cheers

mulben

There are a lot around , maybe not much between them -

solahart was taken over by Rheem

http://www.sustainableman.com.au/about-solahart

http://www.solargain.com.au/300l-sol...er-systems-695

check what type of tank they are quoting on- stainless / roof mounted or ground mounted.
non stainless steel will look cheaper -but will cost in the long run

Wendy66

Lots of deals around and with rebates some good options to pick, get a few companies in, we are in NSW and ended up going with Solarhart.

We had the hot water one first and now have the electricity one as well

Trevski

If you have natural gas then it will cost you more to run solar hot water,we looked into it and we have been shown that running a gas water heater is the cheapest way to heat water

Sherlock Holmes

To be honest, I'd go for a heat pump (uses warm air, so works when the sun isn't shining - also works at minus 4 somehow!) or if you are on mains gas especially, or even LPG, a modern Rinnai or Bosh instant hot water thingy is the way to go.

geordiebloke

I've just been reading about those heat pumps and to be honest, for the length of time we plan to stop in this house, they seem to be to most economical option.
If we were palnning on stopping long term, say 10 years or more, I think it would be worth the initial outlay for the solar system. Don't think you can go too far wrong with $12 per year running costs?

mulben

Check this out if your considering heat pumps
There seems to be some quite poor ones around
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum...23&q=heat+pump

Broad Shoulders

heat pumps aren't always necessary though, especially in QLD and WA. You can easily get away without using one and save on the costs to power it. We do not recommend them for WA, QLD and NT as they are simply not needed.

ABCDiamond

They are useful if you want hot water though

Without ours we would be showering in cold water

Broad Shoulders

Do you have roof mounted tank then?

If you have a 300-350 litre floor-mounted tank with 30 evacuated tubes on a north to north-east facing roof in QLD you will not need a pump. Especially, if you get a mid-tank element model. Also, by having a pump you are not getting the maximum RECs rebates.

ABCDiamond

No roof panels, no roof tank, just a Heat pump.


It provides all the water we need, and all for the cost of running the fan

We got the full rebates, so the $3,000 system cost us about $500 in total

Actually just checked my original info
and

Jamiem

I agree with ABCD.

-I live in the South-West of WA and installed a heat-pump to my newly built home a few months ago... It only uses 500W of power and I run it on a timer from 10:00am 'til 2:00pm. Always have hot water even with a house full of guests and can't argue with the efficiency it provides.

One thing to bear in mind if you do choose to get one is the noise factor. They are not excessively noisy, but certainly noticeable if they are installed next to a bedroom (this is partly the reason why I installed the timer, -so it does not kick in through the night).

Having researched most current hot water options, I wouldn't hesitate choosing the heat pump again. -Next door has a solar HWS with gas boost, and I hear their gas kick in most days... expensive and sometimes inconvenient in this area, as we rely on gas bottles with no mains gas supply.

I got a Stiebel heat pump -you pay a little more but for me the quality of the unit was worth the extra cost.

Cheers,

J