WHAT ARE THE COSTS AND SAVINGS?

SOLAR HOT WATER COSTS

The purchase of the evacuated solar tubes and components, water storage tank with either gas or electric boosting, high temperature pipe insulation, hot water tempering valve and freight;  plumbing installation by a registered plumber extras supplied by plumber.

SAVINGS

Every household is different. A different number of people, different shower lengths, hot vs cold washing, standard vs low-flow showerheads. All these factors can make a big difference in how much you will save. It's probably fair to say that the average family of four switching from an old electric to a new solar hot water system will save around $500 a year. Of course, whatever saving they make is dramatically rising each year with energy prices!

PHOTOVOLTAIC COSTS

As a rule of thumb, the solar module represents 40-50% of the total installed cost of a solar system. This percentage will vary according to the nature of the application. A complete solar system includes all the other components required to create a functioning system, whether it be to feed energy in to the grid or to be used in stand alone off-grid applications. In 2009, a 1-1.5 kw residential solar system costs about $8,000-$15,000 installed depending on the type of panels used.