Solar Water Heater as the name indicates and sometimes refered to as Solar thermal system harness free sun heat to generate domestic hot water good enough for general use like bathing and drinking and where necessary can be the input into conventional water heater or boiler.This hugely reduces the time and energy for such system to reach boiling point.
This can imply that your family (4 rooms & Kitchen) hot water need worth 14.4kwh per day for 365 days being 5256kwh @ N22/kwh implies N115, 632.00.
The above cost is saved with Solar water heater and when it is complementary to conventional electric heaters, the savings can be up to 70% of the above yearly.
The
benefits of solar water heating
Ø Hot water guaranteed all year round. This is a great value
for Nigeria will poorly power supply
Ø Drastic reduction in energy cost. In 3 years, the cost of
the system will be covered by savings and from the forth years cost is zero or
about N25000 yearly in view of boiled water need.
Ø Friendly carbon footprint- since Solar hot water is green
energy supported, it is a great value adding to advocating for zero carbon
emission.
How do solar water heating systems work?
Solar water heating systems comprised of solar panels called collectors, supported on the roof as shown in the picture above. These collect heat from the sun and use it to heat up water which is stored in a hot water cylinder.Where necessary, a boiler or immersion heater can be used as a back-up to heat the water further to reach the temperature you want.
There are two types of solar water heating panels:
- Evacuated
tubes
- Flat
plate collectors, which can be fixed on the roof tiles or integrated into
the roof.
Larger
solar panels can also be arranged to provide some contribution to heating your
home as well. However, the amount of heat provided is generally very small and
it is not normally considered worthwhile.
Is solar water heating right for your home?
Things to consider
·
Do you have a sunny place to put solar
panels? You'll need around five square metres of roof space which
faces East to West through South and receives direct sunlight for the main part
of the day. The panels don't have to be mounted on a roof however. They can be
fixed to a frame on a flat roof or hang from a wall.
·
Do you have space for a larger, or an
extra, hot water cylinder? If a dedicated solar cylinder is not
already installed then you will usually need to replace the existing cylinder,
or add a dedicated cylinder with a solar heating coil.
·
Is your current boiler compatible with
solar water heating? Most conventional boiler and hot water
cylinder systems are compatible with solar water heating. If your boiler is a
combination boiler (combi) and you don't currently have a hot water tank, a
solar hot water system may not be compatible.
A competent accredited installer will be able to assess your home and help
you choose the best setup to meet your needs.Costs, savings and financial support
The cost of installing a typical solar water heating system is from N330,000.00 for 150liters.Maintenance
Maintenance costs for solar water heating systems are generally very low. Most solar water heating systems come with a five-year or ten-year warranty and require little maintenance. Once fitted your installer should leave written details of any maintenance checks that you can carry out from time to time to ensure everything is working properly.You should have your system checked more thoroughly by an accredited installer every 3-7 years, or as specified by your installer. It is likely that after this period of time, the anti-freeze that is used to protect your system in the winter months will need to topped up or be replaced as it breaks down over time reducing the performance of your system. Anti-freeze lasts better if the solar water system is used throughout the year and not left unused during the warmest weeks of the year. This cost of replacing the anti-freezer is usually around N40,000.00 at today’s exchange rate.
The other thing that your installer should check is the pump. In a well maintained system, pumps can last for more than 10 years.
