ecogise products

Solar Water Heating

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Solar water heating is an excellent way of heating your hot water and saving you money on your power bill.

A solar water heating system uses the sun's energy to heat the water. The only ongoing costs you will incur for water heating will be just to top up the water temperature in times of bad weather. Topping up the water temperature can be done by gas or electricity. If you are on the main grid we would suggest using electricity, but if you're off the main grid, in most cases you would be better off using gas.

We primarily install split systems where the water cylinder is situated in a cylinder cupboard or inside the roof. Roof mounted cylinders often need extra strengthening and are aesthetically unpleasant.

SolarWaterDLEWEB.pdf

ecogise flat plate solar water heating systems

Designed and manufactured in New Zealand for over 25 years, our ecogise solar water heating systems offer proven quality, reliability and efficiency.

The design of our system incorporates a "split system" meaning the water cylinder is mounted remotely from the (flat plate) solar collectors on the roof and therefore the roof will not require extra strengthening.

Glycol is pumped from the water cylinder to the solar collectors on the roof, it is then heated via infrared rays from the sun and travels back to the water cylinder where it transfers the heat to the water stored inside the cylinder, ready for use by the household.

At night or in cold conditions the system senses the low temperature and switches off the pump allowing the glycol to drain away from the solar collectors and preserve energy.

As the system incorporates glycol, it is protected against frosts to around -25C.

We have systems to accommodate any family size or commercial requirement and we can advise you on the best sized system for your needs.

Our solar collectors are fully serviceable and are constructed with high quality materials to withstand the harshest of New Zealand’s conditions, as well as offering very high efficiency.

 

New Zealand made

As we manufacture our systems right here in New Zealand, we can ensure that all our registered installers have the back up and training required, ensuring your complete satisfaction.

Other benefits include a lower environmental impact, support for the local labour markets and less money being sent offshore.

We also have the ability to custom build the solar panels and the whole system to suit almost any situation, whether it be it for an aesthetically pleasing look for your home, a large commercial system or an under floor heating system.

 

Why choose an ecogise solar water heating system?

· New Zealand made for over 25 years.

· Full customer service and backup by accredited installers.

· Frost protected.

· Adds value to your property.

· Very high efficiency.

· Competitively priced.

· Aesthetically pleasing.

· Gas or Electric boost options.

· No extra strengthening required in the roof.

· Approved to the New Zealand Standards.

· Option for custom built solar collectors.

· Innovative and reliable design.

· 10 year warranty.

How does solar water heating work?

The way the sun heats your water is best explained by comparing it with a glasshouse or perhaps the way a car heats up left parked in the sun.

The incoming sunshine rays are long rays which can penetrate through the glass or other materials such as clear plastics. After penetrating and striking any solid object behind the glass, the rays break up into short rays which cannot travel back through the glass and so the heat is trapped inside.

ecogise solar panels are made of highly conductive material with copper waterways and a small circulation pump which circulates fluid from the water cylinder, through the solar panels where it is heated and then back to the water cylinder, where it is stored ready for use.

An electronic controller and temperature sensors control when the pump turns on to circulate the fluid through the solar panels. This is to achieve maximum efficiency and not lose heat in colder weather.

General ecogise information

All ecogise solar water heating installations must be carried out by an accredited ecogise installer, as stipulated in the warranty document. All installers must have completed training conducted by ecogise. Accredited ecogise installers aim to maintain the highest possible efficiency, reliability, customer satisfaction and quality of workmanship.

Water quality

Copper is generally very stable and long lasting. However there are certain areas in New Zealand where the water is very corrosive to copper cylinders. Generally this is untreated water (not town supply), or some bore supplies. If this is a problem in your area of installation, you may require a stainless steel cylinder or a Superheat copper cylinder with a special coating on the bottom dome that increases the cylinder life. Generally less than 1% of households have water supplies that will affect copper barrelled hot water cylinders.

Power failure

If a power failure were to occur the only effect would be the solar circulation pump would stop circulating. The collector cannot boil the system dry but even if this did occur, no damage will result due to the design parameters of the system. In the unlikely event of the system boiling dry during a power failure, once power has been restored, an alarm will sound which can be turned off while an associated LED will remain lit until the expansion tank has been topped up to the level indicator. At the customers request or in areas where power-cuts are a problem an optional alternative stand-by power supply system can be fitted to keep the system operating.

Solar water heating for hydronic space heating

As a rule approximately 50kw of power is required to heat a 150 /m2 dwelling per night. Approximately 500 watts /m2 are available at the collector under ideal conditions.From these two statistics it is evident that home heating using solar energy alone is impractical if not impossible. Especially when taking into consideration the fact that the time of year when you require the most space heating is the time of year when the least energy is available. In winter the sun is at its lowest angle and greatest distance from the sun. Because we want it to work, ecogise solar hot water systems will only be offered as an assisting heat source in conjunction with a primary heating option.

Connection to existing systems

If requested and the connection is feasible after all factors have been considered, the connection will be via an external heat-exchanger.

Legionella protection

The timer supplied with the ecogise solar hot water system is designed to eliminate the possible growth of Legionella bacteria and so care must be taken to ensure the timer is set appropriately.

Frost protection

ecogise solar hot water heating systems are protected by virtue of being part of an indirect system, with an anti-freeze suitable for at least -25oC. We also use an automatic drain-down system which removes the need for pressure/temperature relief valves (venting onto roofs) and reduces system component failures and maintenance costs.

If you would like our recommendation on a system to suit your requirements and pricing, you can fill in the worksheet below and forward it to us or contact us at ecogise.

Solar Water Worksheet.doc