Benefits
Solar Geysers also knows as solar water heaters, is the process of transforming free energy from the sun to hot domestic water. This can also be fitted to a conventional geyser for when solar heating is unavailable.
Benefits of Having a Solar Geyser
- Enjoy hot water in your home throughout the year. The system works even in winter in cold climates when it is retrofitted to your electric geyser.
- Reduced electricity bill. Solar energy from the sun is free, once you’ve had the system installed you will see a massive reduction in costs for water heating.
- Lower carbon footprint. Solar water heating is green, renewable energy, this will reduce you homes carbon dioxide emissions. It has been shown to reduce an average households emissions by about 3 tons per year.
- Eskom rebate. When you get an installation from an approved installer you will benefit from the Eskom rebate scheme. This will lower the cost of having the system installed in your home.
- You will have hot water even during power outages or load shedding.
- Solar geysers offer protection from future electricity price hikes.
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How do Solar Geysers work?
Solar geysers use solar panels, otherwise known as collectors, which are fitted to your roof. The water is heated in the collectors using thermal solar energy from the sun which is then stored in a tank. This can be used in conjunction with a traditional electric geyser to reach your desired temperature, particularly useful in colder climates during the winter months. There are two main types of solar heating panels:
Evacuated tubes:
Otherwise known as vacuum tube collectors they compose of multiple glass tubes filled with a transfer fluid, this is usually a mixture of water and antifreeze. The heat is then transferred to the water through an exchanger called a manifold. More info.
Flat plate collectors:
Developed in the 50’s, this is the most common type of panel used in solar water heating. In areas where freezing or frost is prevalent, flexible polymers are used and the panel can freeze and unfreeze multiple times without damage. More info.
An accredited installer will be able to advise you on which system is better suited to your home and needs.
Savings
Your electric geyser is the biggest energy user in your home, it uses 40% of your monthly electricity spend on average. When changing to solar you will see huge savings. Not only will your electricity bill drop drastically, but you also might qualify for an Eskom rebate. You might be worried about the expense of switching over, but once you see the savings, you’d be silly not to. To calculate how much you could potentially save, click here.
Maintenance
Maintenance for solar geysers is generally very low and an SABS approved geyser will come with a 5-year guarantee. Once installed most providers offer a manual which covers some basic maintenance checks which should be carried out from time to time to ensure the system is working correctly.
The most important thing to check for are leaks, these can be easily spotted. If your system is not providing warm water on a warm day we suggest you contact the installer. Some installation companies will offer an annual service check, take this into consideration when choosing an installer.