SOLAR WATER HEATING

After researching and writing the Herald article (see below) I finally took the plunge and "put my money where my mouth is" by spending precious cash on a low pressure solar water heater. The results are more spectacular than I ever would have imagined. I purchased a 200 litre low pressure system which has 20 evacuated tubes. I paid R6250. It has adequate water for 4 people to shower in the evening and amazingly the water is still piping hot the next morning. My initial concern was that the water would cool down after initial use due to the fact that cold water is added to the tank BUT amazingly the water remains hot. I assume that there is minimal turbulence in the tank and that the cold and hot water does not mix much. After one week it seems that I am saving an average of 10kW.h per day. At R0.85 /kW.h this is R8.50 per day. This does not sound like much but it means that after 735 days the hot water is free!! Plus its means that there is a little bit less smog in Mpumalanga!!