Not many people realise that water heating accounts for up to 60% of the energy your home requires. Providing this energy also contributes in a major way to greenhouse gases.

This is why more and more people are turning to solar! Installing and efficient, long life, solar hot water heater is the single most effective way of saving money on electricity bills, and saving the planet.

All Solar Hot Water heaters are not created equal!
Smart Water & Energy can help you find the best solution for your solar hot water needs.

Most solar water heating systems have two main parts, a solar collector and a storage tank. Mounted on the roof, the solar collector consists of a thin, flat, rectangular box with a transparent cover that faces the sun. Small tubes run through the box and carry the water to be heated. The tubes are attached to an absorber plate, which is painted black to absorb the heat. As heat builds up in the collector, it heats the water passing through the tubes. The storage tank then holds the heated water, ready for you to use.

You only need to use a gas or electric booster to heat the water on days when the sun refuses to shine. That way you're always guaranteed plenty of hot water but very few energy bills.

Ask your Smart Water & Energy Agent if you are eligible for a
"REC Rebate". Click for more information...

Air sourced heat pumps are one of the most efficient methods of heating water as they provide savings on your water heating while reducing the impact on the environment. The heat pump hot water system produces hot water 24 hours a day, and do not require direct sunlight or roof mounted solar panels.

The same principal of transferring heat is at work in heat pump water heaters as your air conditioning system, except that they extract heat from air (indoor, exhaust or outdoor air) and deliver it to water. The Heat Pump contains a fan that draws in air and directs it over the surface of the Evaporator. The Evaporator coil absorbs the heat from the air, and the warm gas in the coil passes through the Compressor concentrating and increasing the heat. The gas then passes to the Condenser. It is here that the heat exchange occurs and the water becomes warmer. Because it extracts heat from air, the Heat Pump Water Heater delivers about twice the heat for the same electricity cost as a conventional water heater. This means that Heat pump water heaters can provide a substantial energy saving over conventional water heaters.

Heat Pumps are now even more affordable with Federal Government offering incentives to the general public. The Federal Government has introduced Renewable Energy Certificates (REC's) for new and improved installations. Once you have installed your Heat Pump water heater you could be eligible for REC's. The Heat Pump Hot Water system a very cost effective solution!

Hot Water Scalds!

• The average temperature for domestic hot tap water in most homes is
  65 - 70°C.

• The ideal maximum, safe temperature for hot tap water is 50°C, and is recommended for bathroom areas.

• The maximum bathing temperature recommended for young children is 38°C.

 

Hot tap Water Temperature	Time taken for hot tap water to cause a full thickness scald
70°C	Less than 0.5 seconds EXTREME DANGER
60°C	One second DANGER
55°C	Thirty seconds WARNING
50°C	Five minutes SAFER
38°C = maximum bathing temperature for young children

 

It is now a requirement for new home owners and renovators to fit hot water safety devices to bathroom areas. A number of devices are available and suit various situations and budgets. At the time of consultation, Smart Water & Energy can advise on the best device for you.

Smart Water & Energy offer the commercial hot water user a highly energy efficient means of generating portable instant hot water.

Our commercial Heat Pump systems have the same operating principles as an air-conditioner or domestic refrigerator. The Heat Pump gathers heat from the surrounding air, and through the refrigeration cycle, deposit the heat into water. This principle of moving heat with a Heat Pump, rather than by generating it through the use of fossil fuels (i.e. natural gas) or electric resistance, makes Heat Pump water heating the best choice for the environment.

Since Heat Pump water heating uses the same principle as an air-conditioner, it produces cool air as it makes hot water. This “free” cool air benefit can be put to use to supplement the existing air-conditioning system, or to provide “spot cooling” to hot work areas.

There are two basics types of applications for Heat Pump water heating:

• Water heating only . In these applications, hot water is made energy efficiently while the air-conditioning benefit is not used because of building configuration and other reasons. These systems are the simplest to design and control.
  
  
• Water Heating with Air-Conditioning (A/C) Benefit . Here the cool air produced by the Heat Pump water heater is used to cool an occupied space while energy efficient hot water is being made. When the A/C benefit is used it becomes important to know and/or calculate both the hot water and air-conditioning loads and the profiles of both loads throughout the day. There are two possible cases when using the A/C benefit:

a) The Hot Water Load exceeds the A/C Load.
b) The A/C Load exceeds the Hot Water Load.

Examples of applications where concurrent space cooling and water heating are required:

Restaurants Nursing Homes Laundries, Hospitals

Kitchens Food Processing Plants Photographic Processing Plants etc.