News and events

06/11/2009
Households must prepare for electricity hikes
Households will face a massive increase of their electricity bill over the next years...

10/09/2009
Eskom warns of high tariffs
Eskom warns of high tariff hikes for years

25/08/2009
Checklist before buying a solar system
Any system that combines water under pressure with heat energy can be potentially dangerous when not handled with care...

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. Aren’t Solar Water Heating Systems incredibly expensive?

It depends on how you look at it – although the set up costs can be significant, solar systems pay for themselves in the long run by saving 40-60% of your electricity consumption. With the ongoing power crisis and the rising electricity costs, solar water heaters are becoming a cost-effective option indeed.

We specialise in hydraulic pumped systems which are very efficient and have a 10 year warranty. Installation costs vary between R 4,500 and R 6,500 depending on size of the system.

After installation and setup, there are practically no other costs.

For a free quotation, please contact us here.

2. Does the solar water heating system work in winter?

Absolutely! Solar collectors on the roof are coated with a special heat-absorbent surface that soaks up solar radiation and converts it to heat energy. This means that the sun's radiation is solely required to operate the system regardless of the season or temperature outside. The system even works in cloudy conditions.

3. How much electricity can I save?

Depending on your water consumption you can save between 40 – 60 % of your electricity bill. Additionally, you will be entirely unaffected by Eskom’s plans to install smart meters which switch off your electrical geyser remotely.

4. Can solar components be bought individually?

Our solar collectors and solar geysers can be purchased individually. For price info please click here.

5. Who installs the systems?

We have plumber teams who have especially been trained by solar specialists from Germany to ensure professional installation of our systems.

6. Is water running through the solar collector?

In so-called direct systems, your domestic water is heated directly in the solar collector and then stored in the tank above the collector. SolarSpace, however, offers the indirect systems where a heat-transfer fluid circulates between the collector and the heat-exchanger in the geyser. Collector and geyser are not linked! The geyser is kept under the roof or anywhere in the house.

7. Is the solar collector frost safe?

Yes. An antifreeze glycol-water mixture (the heat-transfer fluid) is continuously running through the collector. It is frost safe to minus 20 Celcius.

8. Can the solar water heating systems be integrated in every house?

With very few exceptions – yes! Even if the roof inclination is less than the recommended 35° the system will work perfectly due to its advanced technology and the strong sun radiation we have here in South Africa. For flat roofs a special frame is provided.

9. Does the solar system need regular maintenance?

No, not at all! Every other year the anode in the water storage tank (used for corrosion protection) needs to be replaced. The solar collectors on your roof, however, are entirely maintenance free.

10. Can I generate electricity from the solar system and power my household appliances?

To generate electricity you need to install so-called solar photovoltaic panels – a different technology than the solar thermal panels. There are two types of solar energy - solar thermal energy that heats water and solar photovoltaic that generates electricity. Photovoltaic panels convert sunlight into usable electricity and store it in huge batteries. They are still very expensive and not as efficient as the solar thermal panels.

11. How does the solar system work?

Solar collectors on the roof absorb the incoming solar radiation and convert it to heat energy. A heat-transfer fluid running through thin tubes in the collector is heated and in turn transfers the heat to the heat exchanger in the geyser where domestic water is heated. The cooled heat-transfer fluid then circulates back to the collector where the process starts anew. For a visual example, please click here.

12. Can I keep my old geyser and connect it to the solar collector?

Unfortunately, electrical geysers do not have the required heat exchanger to function with the heat transfer fluid. For this reason, we sell the system together with a geyser specifically designed for solar heating.

13. What details do you need to know for a quote?

We need to know your water consumption and/or number of people in the household. The average water consumption per person is 50l a day. Another important factor is the number of existing geysers and where they are installed in your house (ie. different parts of the house or one central location). For a detailed quote we always suggest a site survey to asses the perimeters and help you to find the most cost-effective solution.

14. How long does it take to get a solar water heater installed?

If we have the particular system in stock we can provide installation within 10 days. Special items (such as geysers over 400 l) will have to be ordered from Germany and may take up to 8 weeks to arrive, depending on supplier availability. However, we stock most common sizes and components.

Contact Us
tel. +27 82 461 4481
info@solarspace.co.za

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