Solar systems normally have either electric or gas boosters and capture heat from the sun’s rays. Heat pumps use some electricity while taking most of the heat energy they need from the air.
Replacing a traditional electric storage hot water system with a solar system or heat pump can save a whole 3 tonnes every year and cut ongoing hot water heating costs by about 75% (we have been conservative in our carbon calculation for this activity of 1000kg or 1 tonne for a small system and 2 tonnes for a large one).
There also are some great government rebates and other incentives to help you to pay for a hot-water changeover, and suppliers like our partner Solahart can assist you to access these payments as part of their package.
Our tips include:
1. Switching from an electric storage hot water system to a solar or heat pump system is one of the best things you can do to cut CO2 emissions at home.
2. But changing over can require some planning and take time, so it is best if you make preparations.
3. If you currently have an electric storage system (or an older-style gas storage system) you can:
Get an assessment of your home to work out what sort of system will work best for you and your household
If you want to wait for your current system to break down, assemble all of the information you need to change over when that happens
If you want to change over immediately, investigate with suppliers the rebates and other help you can get to reduce costs
4. Make sure you tell us if you’ve changed over your hot water system as a result of our campaign so we can include your fantastic contribution in our progress.
Why is it important?
Conventional electric hot water systems with storage tanks can account for about 25% of the CO2 pollution in our homes. Solar or heat pump systems can reduce CO2 by two-thirds or more, and out-perform gas systems as well as old-style electric ones.
With hot water typically accounting for 25-30% of home energy use, it's one of the biggest areas for action in most homes.