While government remains com- mitted to progressively deploying solar water heating in all resi- dential dwellings, solar water heater (SWH) supply and installation company Gener8 MD Brandon October says that the afford- ability of the product is a challenge.

While the long-term benefits of installing a SWH is promising, in the short term, the import costs of the SWHs can be a stumbling block to lower-earning households, he says. “The import costs of the SWH products contribute to its high price, which requires the establishment of more local manufacturers on a larger scale,” he adds.

State-owned power utility Eskom states that costs can only be provided taking into account specific hot water use habits. However, installing a 200-ℓ SWH geyser costs about R10 000 with an additional R4 500 installation fee, after the rebates have been deducted. The utility reports that the upfront cost of a SWH, including installation, is higher than electric or gas water heaters, but the savings on one’s electricity bill will compensate for this over time.

SWHs are an alternative to electric geysers and can reduce water-heating costs, which account for more than a one-third of the average household’s electricity bill. Depending on the system installed and how it is used, a SWH could produce between 50% and 90% of an average household’s heated-water requirements and save up to 70% of its water heating electricity costs.

This view is supported by the Depart- ment of Energy’s commitment to installing one-million SWHs by 2014, and increasing that number to 5,6-million by 2020.

Engineering News reported that this initial commitment would be funded through a combination of electricity tariffs and favourable financing deals, such as that which could be sourced from the World Bank’s Clean Technology Fund.

One of the key interventions of the department’s energy efficiency demand- side management is the solar water heating programme. Energy Minister Dipuo Peters says that the outcomes of this programme will reduce electricity demand by 3 600 MW, will localise solar water heating techno- logy (design and production), enhance climate change mitigation and create jobs, as well as increase skills development.

Although October affirms govern- ment’s commitment to the roll-out of SWHs, he says that, since thee intro- duction of rebates three years ago by Eskom, there is still a great need to create awareness and educate South Africans on solar water heating, and that government should play a greater role in this regard.

At the Southern Africa Stainless Steel Development Association’s Stainless Steel Solar Water Heating Interest Group Collaboration, despite the benefits of solar water heating discussed, attendees at the event pointed out that the market for SWHs was not currently active and needed to be unlocked. Engineering News reported that it had been concluded [by attendees] that the solution lay in education and, further, that government should institute legisla- tion that enforced SWH geyser installation for all new houses and developments.

Meanwhile, Gener8 has been in opera- tion for two years, and it is the East Rand franchisor operating under the national Gener8 company. October says that, although sales have been slow, he remains confident that business will increase as awareness of the benefits of SWHs increases, and as the local SWH industry develops.

The latest technology is the refinement of the solar collectors and geysers, but the basic principle of the SWH remains the same. In South Africa, the systems focused on are the split system with the electric pump, the split system with the 12-V pumps and the panel and thermosyphon system, he explains.

He also points out that other technological advancements in the SWH industry include the use of evacuated tubes and the flat plate system. “Both solar plates are covered in glass and are usually black in colour because darker colours absorb the most sunshine,” October concludes.