Hot water for the less fortunate
Selected Energy recently donated a 300-litre Solahart solar water heater to the Save the Children Foundation (SCF) centre in Tjakastad, Mpumalanga. SCF Gauteng has been a beacon of hope to many communities over the past 60 years. Their main focus is the development of initiatives for young and old, helping people to become self-employed and self-reliant in Gauteng and Mpumalanga.
“The crew from Witbank was wonderful to work with, we are grateful for all they did for us. Everybody is thrilled to have hot water on the premises, something they haven’t had for a very long time.” said Mapitso Malepe, chairman of Safe the Children Gauteng.
The 300-litre solar water heater will ensure that the centre has access to hot water during summer and the cold winter months that lie ahead.
‘We are pleased to have made a positive impact on the lives of those who need it most, and to make their everyday lives a little bit easier,” said Jim Hickey, managing director of Selected Energy.
Read more about Save the Children here.
Heat pumps vs. solar water heaters
Heat pumps are considered a cheaper alternative to solar water
heaters. Although heat pumps aren’t as expensive as solar water heaters,
the return on investment and efficiency isn’t as considerable as with
solar water heaters.
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“Gauteng winters are ideal for solar water heaters with our beautiful
clear and high radiation sky. Heat pumps on the other hand struggle to
operate efficiently on cold winter days when hot water is most needed,”
said Jim Hickey. “Solar water heaters are more expensive than heat
pumps, but investing in a Solahart gives one a return that is ten times
more than a heat pump.”
Invest to save
According to an article in RACA (The Refrigeration and
Air-conditioning Africa Journal) published on 1 February 2011, the solar water
heating industry’s response to the high capital cost of acquiring and
installing a solar water heater has been to offer smaller and cheaper units.
Although smaller units will still save energy, it will not save on water heating costs. According to Jim Hickey, managing director of Selected Energy, smaller solar water heaters aren't the solution to the high input costs of solar water heaters.
With the uncertainty surrounding electricity price hikes that might stretch over the original three year price increase timeline, as reported by The Daily Maverick, one should invest in the correct solar water heater that will address the household’s needs.
Size matters
The maximum solar water heater size that is available on the South African market is the 300-litre (suitable for a household consisting of four to six people).
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When a smaller geyser is installed and the water consumption of a
household exceeds the heating capacity of a solar water heater, the
water needs to be heated by the geyser’s electrical resistance element.
The savings experienced on water heating will therefore not be as
significant.
For the past 29 years Selected Energy has installed 20 000 x 300-litre
systems. These systems have replaced all the previously used geysers,
resulting in an 80% - 90% saving on water heating costs.
Replacing a geyser with a solar water heater of the same capacity does
require a significant upfront investment. However, considering the
uncertainty surrounding future price hikes in electricity, the return on
investment might be far greater than expected.
Refer a friend!
Solahart owners can help friends and family save up to 90% on their water heating costs. Give Selected Energy the names and contact details of friends and family members who could benefit from a Solahart system. Should your referral turninto a sale, you can have your pick of our range of exclusive gifts. For more information, click here.
Did you know?
Selected Energy’ has been importing and distributing Solahart solar water heaters in Southern Africa for the past 29 years.
Read more about Selected Energy here.
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