Solar power should be in everybody's home

More and more individuals, families and businesses are opting for the use of solar products. With the amount of load shedding going on in South Africa it is not surprising why. But apart from the lack of electricity, this doesn’t seem to be the main reason anymore. Giving back to the environment, saving money and increasing home’s values seem to also be just some of the reasons.

With the growing use of these innovative products around the world we asked the experts at Sunpower to answer the questions many consumes ask about Solar products and what benefit there is from using them.

 
What is the lifespan of solar water heating products?

Solartherm geysers carry a 10 Year Guarantee and have a life expectancy of 16 years upwards, the solar collector – glass vacuum tubes have an 8 year guarantee and also fit into a 16 year life expectancy.

How much do they cost in comparison to non solar products? And what rebate is involved?

Solar geysers are 30% more expensive than normal electrical geysers as they have additional ports, thicker isolation and the element positioning has changed. The entire heating system is normally within 15000-24000 in comparison to a standard electrical geyser installation being +/- R6500. The rebate is on average 30% of the system cost which allows the client to reduce the initial out lay on the solar system.

Can you give a brief overview of how these products work

Split active direct system – the geyser is installed in the roof, the water is pumped from the geyser up to the roof where it passes through the solar panel, heat is collected a this point and the warmed water returns to the geyser to be stored.

Split active indirect system – the geyser is installed in the roof, glycol (anti – freeze) is pumped up to the roof where it passes through the solar panel the heat is transferred to the glycol and the warmed glycol returns to the geyser. The geyser has 2 vessels the outer vessel contains the warmed glycol and the inner area contains the water that comes out of your tap. The glycol heats the water in the inner area through conduction.

Thermosyphon – the geyser is installed above the panel inside or outside the roof. The water circulates through natural theory of hot water rising and cod water sinking. There is no pump in this system.

How easy are they to maintain compared to non solar products?

Maintenance is the same on a solar system as on an electrical geyser system. On electrical geyser you have to replace the anode and on the solar geyser as well. The panel can get flushed every 3-5 years. The pump is the only variable in the system which tends to perish very easily. 4- 8 years but only carries a 1 year guarantee.

How will they save money for me in the long run?

A solar water heating system reduces or removes the electricity consumption an electrical geyser would use if there was no auxiliary heating. Our systems can get paid off in savings within 3-4 years.

What sort of temperatures do solar heater geysers reach in comparison to electrical ones?

Solar geysers can get very high temperatures but due to SANS regulations a tempering valve needs to be installed to insure that the water that comes out of the taps is never hotter than 55 ‘C. You do not need hotter water then the 55’C.

What sort of capacity do the geysers hold?

Solar geyser are like normal electrical geyser they increase in volume by 50L we sell geyser up to 600L

Solar electrical. What is it and how does it work?

Solar electrical – power is generated by the radiation from the sun being absorbed by a photovoltaic cell. The photons from the sun are hen converted to protons which cause electricity. This is transferred to the regulator and to the inverter for use.

Did you know?? By the year 2015 you will not be permitted to install Electric Geysers in new developments, this will also apply to insurance claims on burst geysers.

Sunpower

www.sunpower.co.za