Yes, you can significantly reduce installation costs by fixing the solar system toyour roof yourself, or a handyperson who can assist.
The system is very easy to fit, comes with a comprehensive installation manual (or download) and anyone with basic building skills can carry out a DIY installation, Follow the instructions carefully and you can’t go wrong.
You may require a registered plumber to connect the pipes or to qualify for solar rebates.
Warning: do not take risks. If you are not competent with heights then it would be unwise to self install.
You will need to organise your own plumbing installation.
Any competent plumber can install the Apricus system, so if you have a friendly plumber, talk it over with him/her.
Some plumbers have installed a number of these systems and are already familiar with them, and this experience can reduce installation costs.
From an environmental standpoint, there is not a lot in it.
Hydro electricity is renewable, so ought to be favoured. However, the reality at present is that every unit of electricity that is saved means less a unit less of thermal power imported from Victoria.
From an efficiency standpoint, gas boosting works more efficiently than electric boosting, because the gas booster should only fire up if there is inadequate solar hot water available whereas an electric booster tends to cut in when not needed.
You can choose to use bottled gas or mains gas (slightly different equipment needed for installation).
A gas-boosted system will be more costly to purchase and install and may require more maintenance.
(Note that when coupled to solar, a gas-boosted system requires a hot water cylinder to be installed.)
In most cases, yes. But the header tank or water pressure must be high enough to enable the system to function properly.
In some low-pressure installations an optional larger pump may be required.
One beauty of evacuated tube systems is that they will not freeze, thus eliminating this perennial problem with solar collectors.
The manifold is surrounded by moulded rockwool insulation and cannot freeze except in exceptionally cold conditions, well below freezing.
Very little maintenance is required for solar water heating systems.
You should occasionally check the light on the controller.
On rare occasions a glass tube may lose its vacuum and therefore its performance. The glass tubes can be inspected occasionally to make sure. A glass tube can be easily replaced by the owner.
In most cases, no. Evacuated tube solar panels are considered in much the same way as roof windows.
Unless you live in a heritage area, such as Batter Point, or unless your building is heritage listed, then you will not require planning permission.
Yes, the system uses very little power (intermittent 14 watt).
However the automatic temperature monitor (controller) plugs into a 240 volt power outlet, so your 12 volt system will need an inverter for this to operate.
This is a common query and one that needs explanation.
Heating a house is a lot larger task than heating an insulated cylinder of water.
‘Hydronic’ space heating is possible, but not very viable unless integrated with another technology – the problem being, that space heating is mostly required in Winter and at night, precisely at the wrong times of year and day!
These factors mean that an enormous volume of hot water storage (several thousand litres) would be necessary for space heating purposes, and this puts space heating out of the question.
In practice you can provide a significant amount of supplementary heat in the spring and autumn (and some people have implemented such systems). You would also need to fit many more solar tubes to your roof.
By contrast, solar water heating is effective even in Winter, as the amount of heat required is considerably less than that required to heat a house and it can be effectively stored throughout the night for use the next day.