Friday, February 17, 2012

Types Of Solar Hot Water Systems

Solar Hot Water System Prices - type of system

In my previous blogs I stated that Solar hot water system prices vary for 6 main reasons. They are - rebates - the efficiency of the system- type of system - size of system - the quality of the installation and whether the system has to be moved away from the location of your existing hot water system.

This third blog in the series deals with the types of systems. There are 7 categories for solar hot water systems - Heat pump, roof mounted, split, evacuated tube, flat panel, electric boosted and gas boosted.

Heat pumps consists of a storage tank fitted with a refrigeration unit that uses latent heat energy in the air to make hot water and will work in temperatures as low as -10 Celsius. Based on the same principles as a fridge in reverse. Heat pumps are the cheapest to install and can provide ample hot water in Canberra all year round.


Roof mounted systems consists of a storage tank coupled to 1 or more panels or evacuated tubes installed on a roof. These can be among the cheapest to install. However, even with gas boosting they are likely to get the lowest number of STCs and therefore be the most inefficient.

The split system consists of a tank on the ground with either evacuated tubes or flat panels mounted on the roof. Split systems allow for more flexibility in the installation. They generally get high numbers of STCs
Evacuated tube systems usually form part of a split system. They are less prone to frost damage and can be relatively inexpensive to repair. They are among the most expensive to install


Flat panels form part of both roof mounted systems and split systems. In the split system variety they can get a very high number of STC's. They are more prone to frost damage. They are generally cheaper than evacuated tube systems.


Electric boosting is common in split, roof mounted, evacuated tube and flat panel systems. An electric element is installed in the bottom of the tank or mid way.

There are two types of gas boosting - Pre Gas boosting and post Gas boosting. The later is the most environmentally friendly and cheapest to run. However, It is the most expensive to install. Over the life of the system it is more economical to install an electric boosted solar hot water system.

Remember, your own research will ultimately help you decide if you have been quoted a fair price. Before you accept any solar hot water system prices research what you have been told by the sales person.

If you need fast, reliable, experienced service call 6 Star Hot Water and plumbing on
61619417 or 0448844911 for immediate help.
www.hotwatersystems-plumbing.com.au/solar-hot-water-canberra/