Solar Hot Water – Reduce Your Hot Water Bill by up to 90%

Solar hot water – a smart choice

Water heaters are one of the largest users of household energy in Australian homes. In Northern NSW  they are second only to home heating & Cooling and consume between one quarter and one fifth of all home energy.    That costs a lot of money and generates a lot of greenhouse gases. A smart way to reduce both cost and CO2 emissions is to install a solar hot water system or heat pump. A solar hot water system first use the sun’s rays to heat water and then use electricity or gas to boost the heat if the sun cannot deliver enough energy to heat all the water you need, such as on very cloudy days. Although a solar water heater costs more to buy and install than a conventional water heater, the savings in ongoing energy consumption can pay back the higher purchase cost in as little as  five years.  There are also rebates by the Federal and State Governments to encourage you to switch to solar.

Government Support

Government rebates may be available to assist you to replace your  electric storage hot water system with  a more energy efficient system. Visit the Australian Government‟s Living Greener website at  www.livinggreener.gov.au for current information about rebates.

If you install a solar water heater or heat pump to replace an electric heater, you will also be eligible for a subsidy in the form of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) now called Small-scale Technology Certificates (STC’s). These certificates are issued under licence  from the Australian Government and are then bought back from you by your solar water heater retailer in the form of a price reduction. The number of Certificates that are issued for a solar water heater is based on the estimate of the amount of electricity displaced, so high efficiency systems earn more RECs. Most household systems earn between 20 and 40 RECs. Further information on RECs may be found through the Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator, either at www.orer.gov.au or by phone on 6159 7000.