Hot Water Systems

The majority are the traditional flat plate systems, with collector panels on your roof that collect the radiant heat of the sun during the day to heat the water. They are more economical than electric or gas water heaters, and have electric or gas boosters for when there is insufficient sun.

The collection plates are flat, which produces one limitation to efficiency- they can only operate at maximum efficiency when the sun is directly overhead at midday. At other times, the sun's rays are striking the collector at varying angles, reducing efficiency.

Evacuated Tube Solar Hot Water Systems overcome this problem. Because the collector consists of a series of tubes, the sun's rays are perpendicular to the tubes for most of the day, allowing the system to operate at high efficiency for much longer that flat-plate units. The diagram on the left illustrates this.

Another advantage of the evacuated tube technology, is that the weight problems caused by standard flat plate systems are eliminated. Most flat plate systems weigh over 200kg. With an integrated 300l. water tank, this can place a 500-pluskg load on a roof often requiring expensive modification. A standard evacuated tube system weighs just over 80 kg on your roof, making it easy to position and install.

Pros:

-Can be used in conjunction with either a gas or electric system.
-Solar energy is a renewable resource.
- According to the Australian Government, a solar hot water system can save between $300 and $700 every year off electricity bills.

Cons:

- Not appropriate for climates with limited sunlight.
- Higher initial installation cost

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