Solar hot water a natural choice for homeowners under new regulations

New Federal Government regulations will spark a resurgence of consumers purchasing solar hot water systems, according to the renewable energy industry's peak body.

Clean Energy Council Policy Director Russell Marsh said new data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics yesterday showed just under one in ten people had a solar hot water system.

"The data released by the ABS this week showed 52 per cent of households currently use inefficient electric hot water systems, which account for around a quarter of the average home's energy consumption and are a big cost on electricity bills," Mr Marsh said.

"A federal ban on replacing these electric hot water systems from next year, combined with the shift to a national six-star standard for energy efficiency in new homes, will make solar hot water the natural choice for many homeowners.

"A solar hot water system will be one of the cheapest, easiest and cleanest ways for people to save on their power bill while complying with the new regulations," he said.
The Federal Government and some state governments offer rebates to households that replace an existing electric hot water system with a solar hot water unit.

"Some consumers are confused about the difference between solar panel systems and solar hot water. There is also confusion about whether solar hot water systems can provide hot water at night when the sun has set. Just to be clear, they can – either by having a natural gas backup system or by storing water that was heated during the day," Mr Marsh said.

"The future is bright for the solar hot water industry and households that embrace the technology. Investing in solar hot water also means home grown jobs for Australians and the industry is looking forward to a couple of good years all round," he said.

Eclipse Solar are installers and distributors for quality Australian Solar Hot Water systems and has noticed a sharp increase in sales over the past two months.

For more information on this please contact matt@eclipsesolar.com.au
(Article ref CEC website)