As solar hot water has been an attractive alternative to traditional gas and electric water heaters for decades, you’d think it couldn’t get any better. Well, it can!
By boosting your solar hot water system with a continuous flow gas hot water system (gas booster), hot water will always be readily available, come rain, shine, or night time, as it acts as a supplemental water heater booster to ensure you get the most out of your solar hot water system.
However, before looking into replacing your existing gas or electric water heater, or upgrading your current solar hot water system, do yourself a favour and get to know the benefits of gas boosters. You won’t regret it!
To help you make your decision, we’ve compiled the most notable pros and cons of gas boosted solar hot water systems.
The Pros of Gas Boosted Solar Hot Water System
Significant savings of solar
As solar hot water systems use the sun’s natural rays as a source of free energy, installing one could significantly slash your monthly energy bills. In fact, modern solar hot water systems can pay for themselves within six to ten years! Even less in some cases.
Better together, whatever the weather
Whether you’ve used up your sun-heated water or there was no sun to begin with, with a gas booster you’ll always have hot water on tap. Once your gas booster detects a drop in water temperature, it’ll automatically ignite to provide instantaneous and continuous flow heating.
Therefore, no more remembering to turn on the electric booster and waiting hours for a “cold” solar water heater to heat up enough water for a hot shower, or number of hot showers. A continuous flow gas booster can be turned on at the “flick of a switch” at any time and hot water is immediately available.
Environmentally friendly
Going solar helps you protect our planet, as it can offer 70-80% of your hot water needs from free renewable, clean energy. On the other hand, conventional hot water systems have to generate all their heat by combusting fossil fuels (gas or electric). This produces harmful greenhouse emissions, pollutes the air, and contributes to climate change!
The best part?
Gas boosters are easily retrofitted to existing solar storage hot water tanks to increase their effectiveness and convenience. And in the long run, your gas boosted solar hot water system will also pay for itself.
The Cons of Gas Boosted Solar Hot Water System
Initial Upfront Installation Costs
The costs involved in adding a gas booster or installing a complete gas boosted solar hot water system can make most homeowners think twice about outlaying the cost of getting the system installed.
Efficiency Rating
Nowadays the STC energy rating of most gas boosted solar water heaters is the same as for electric boosted solars, and even less for some brands. Therefore, they are tested and deemed by the Clean Energy Regulator (CER) to be no cheaper to run than an electric boosted solar water heater. Why? Because solar gas boosters have to be set to heat the water coming from a solar HW tank to 70C and use considerably more gas, than when used as a dedicated and separate stand-alone continuous flow gas HWS, which can be set as low as 42C (the temperature at which most adults shower).
Fossil Fuel Combustion
Unfortunately, a gas booster involves fossil fuel combustion and may not be the best choice for die-hard environmentalists. But, all is not lost! Natural gas is one of the cleanest fossil fuels available, producing 50-60% less greenhouse gas emissions than the rest.
Decision Time
Now that you’ve seen the evidence, you can make an informed decision for yourself!
Whether you choose an electric, gas, heat pump, electrically boosted solar, or gas boosted solar hot water system, our team at Kalamunda Plumbing has the expertise you need. We offer all manner of hot water system services, while specialising in the sale, service, and installation of solar hot water systems for over 30 years!
Visit our website for more information or call us on (08) 9291 6000 – we’re happy to help.
Head Office & Warehouse Address: 13 Godfrey Street, Walliston 6076
Office Hours: 7.30am – 4.30pm Monday – Friday
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