I apologise because I have not started my own investigations into solar water heating/heaters, but
James
sent me this: I have a 150l combination solar panel and hot water cylinder (geyser) on my roof. My simple research to determine the savings in electricity, involved keeping records of electricity purchases for our pre-paid meter for five+ years prior to and five+ years after installation of the unit for three adults.
Based on the number of electricity units used, savings were around 13.05%, not “up to 50%” as claimed by the makers in their advert – which no longer features this claim, or savings of up to 40% still mentioned by others. There are two attachments to substantiate my claim.
I had a close look at what James sent and I cannot fault his figures. I would be interested to hear from other readers. I will begin my own enquires this week. I would appreciate it if anyone who is a supplier in this industry would contact me.
George followed up on my query to council around desalination. You mentioned you did not know what was happening about desalination projects in Cape Town. The answer
is
: zero. Patricia de Lille announced they were all cancelled due to costs. This means Cape Town will be permanently stuck on water rationing with an ever-increasing population. We need a qualified person in the water department. No water means no Cape Town. I am sure smaller units are running, but it appears there is no long-term plan.
*Handy Mac, aka Don MacAlister, is our expert on household DIY issues. If you have a question for him, please send it to [email protected] or SMS only to 082 446 3859. Find Don on FB: