Solar Water Heaters
 

Just curious at the moment, but with increasing energy costs you never know whether it might be viable. Does anyone know how much (ish) they cost to install? I've read about how much you can save per year and alll that. Does anyone have one? Are they any good? how much hot water per day do you get? Is there a saving in the long run?

Re: Solar Water Heaters
 

cold showers in the winter matey !!!!

Re: Solar Water Heaters
 

people shower over here?:eek:

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Kiwis prefer showers to baths, only the brits bath and soak in their own dirt.

Re: Solar Water Heaters
 

stayed tuned. I am going to ask a work colleague this. I am pretty sure he paid about 4k for the whole malarky but i specifically remember him saying that they only switched on the 'override' function four times last winter when having a shower. He noted that it was sunlight rather than warmth that was required, hence not needing that function very often.

I will report back unless anyone else does prior :)

Re: Solar Water Heaters
 

Am staying tuned!!!:D;)

Re: Solar Water Heaters
 

We had it installed last winter, it cost us just under £3300 and it works a treat!!...:D

We are already getting constant hot water all day even though it's only April (and it's been ruddy hailstoning here today but it's very bright so its working away to its hearts content!!)...:D

We have reduced our water heating timer to come on for just one hour in the morning and evening at the moment (it was set to come on for 3 hours in the morning and evening - 6 hours a day) and for the last few weeks it has barely needed to boost the tank temperature at all...:D...we hope to be able to turn the hot water timer off altogether over the next few weeks/months...

We love it and would recommend it whole-heartedly to anyone...what could be better than generating your own hot water for free (installation costs aside)...and the 'feel-good' factor for doing that little bit extra to 'save the planet' is fabulous too...:D

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Have your electricity bills reduced significantly as well as it's not heating your water?

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Solar water aside, our 'other' water is heated via the gas boiler so the electricity won't reduce but we are expecting to see a good reduction in our next few quarterly gas bills - especially the summer bill when the only gas that we would use would be to heat water (what with no central heating being on) and as we don't think we'll need to use the boiler to heat the water it should be a very small gas bill for the summer months!!...although we do expect even the next bill (due in May I think) to have reduced quite a bit already...I'll let you know when it's arrived and I've compared it...;)

The company who fitted it for us (smashing lads they were too!) told us that we would probably not need to top the system up at all in the summer...and I think they'll be right too!!...blumming freezing here today with hailstones like golfballs and I have a scalding hot tank of water at teatime with no gas being used all day!!...fabulous!!...

Re: Solar Water Heaters
 

Posted the following Jan in reply to similar question

Heat recovery should always be treated as an expensive add on as it takes decades to pay for itself and get your inital investment back.

Heat pumps fall into two catagories - Ground source and air source (they can take heat from a mass of water as well).

It does what it says on the tin it takes heat from the ground or the air and dumps it (controlled) into your home in the form of hot water for domestic hot water (showers etc) and/or heating (radiators or convectors which can be used in reverse to take the heat from the home and dump it into the air/ground.)

For ground source you need to either lay pipes in coils (slinkys) along a trench or trenches of about 90 mts long. The big downside is that your land is then unable to be built on etc.

OR the best most, efficient option is to drill 2/3 vertical shafts to 50 mts ish (dependant on project size) and drop in a flow and return connected by a U bend then the hole is backfilled with a special grout.

Its mindblowing cause after 3 - 5 years when its paid for itself your heating and hotwater/aircon is 80% (min) cheaper than your neighbour who hasnt got it.

Course it can be linked into a swimming pool as well.

Consider Solar Hot Water as well working alongside the heat pump - fantastic.

Needs to be looked into properly and it is advisable to get someone to project manage as you can easily get it wrong.

Will be over to NZ end of the year and will be working in alternative energy PM me if you have any questions.

Any alternative energy source is great do what you can afford Solar panels 4k GSHP 8-15k.....hope this helps.

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Got a HRV system with the house when I bought it in January - but just considering the options with solar heated water alongside it as a long term goal to reduce electricity costs.

Re: Solar Water Heaters
 

Golden rules

First make the most of what you have - Learn to value the electricity you have -
Turn off lights when not needed
Use low energy bulbs.
When using cooker cook loads of things not just one item
Have an open chimney?? make sure you can close it off when not in use, it is designed to draw air up into the night sky from your warm house.
Cut down on draughts (you would be surprised the number of people who have an ill fitting, broken cat flap just as well leave window open.)
Insulate everything - 250mm in the loft min.
Door closers on doors.

Educate the kids in energy conservation.

Go to off peak tariffs for washing machine dish washer etc.

These points cost nothing buts save you loads then spend money on solar.

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Its not finacially viable here in Florida ...so unlikely to be there

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interestin thread this ;) i was under the immpression that heat pumps were installed everywhere in N.Z ? us in the U.K just seem to be getting into it . would be interested in knowing the N.Z$ cost of these units

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We were quoted about $4.5k per unit, and we'd need two to heat/cool our house.
That was from Fujitsu with my work discount (which I lose soon as I'm off to another company)