Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Mar 20, 2013 8:38 pm My fiancé and I are currently building our first home. Included in the house package is a solar boosted hot water system OR a 2000 lt water tank plumbed up to the toilets etc. Which one would be most cost effective in terms of reducing our living expenses? Thanks in advance! Re: Solar HWS or 2000lt tank? 2Mar 20, 2013 9:12 pm I take it that you are in Victoria. I have 90% finished a new page for one of my websites that warns people of what to look out for when optioning a water tank in Victoria - although most of the warnings also apply to other States as well. I cannot post that page but I will PM you the text less references to my services and products. Most people get ripped off financially and end up with an unsatisfactory installation. Doing some homework and avoiding being ripped off is easy but you should never put your trust in the builder or the plumber. I rarely see an install that isn't either substandard, not compliant or both. One poster on this forum recently optioned the 2,000 litre rainwater tank and learnt later that the estate had recycled water compulsory fitted to the toilets...which the residents had to pay for. It then became a question as to whether the house qualified for the 6 star rating given that the tank didn't supply the toilets and solar hot water was not optioned. 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Solar HWS or 2000lt tank? 3Mar 20, 2013 9:24 pm Solar HWS be most cost effective .. I found the major cost of water is the service charge if you don't spend a lot watering the garden. Re: Solar HWS or 2000lt tank? 4Mar 21, 2013 5:53 am Thanks for the great info guys. SaveH2O - Yes I am in Victoria, and that situation sounds typical of the nanny state lol. It's similar to the VIC Roadworthy law that states if you have a spare tyre that is bald or deflated then the vehicle is un-roadworthy, but if you had taken the car in without the spare, and don't have one altogether, then the vehicle IS roadworthy..... Looks like we will definitely be going with the solar HWS! Re: Solar HWS or 2000lt tank? 5Mar 21, 2013 8:36 am There is a fair bit on the ATA forums about solar hot water. It's not my field but it is always interesting to learn about other people's experiences. Posts by peter69_56 are well worth reading as he had a monkey do his and he has had to learn everything himself to get it fixed. As a result, he is now very knowledgeable and his posts are very practical and easy to understand. I just mention this because if you do have a problem, having some background knowledge will help you identify it. Overheating and recirculation pumps are ofter discussed on forums. I also heard recently where a person was charged extra for roof strengthening when they optioned a SHWS and that might be something to be aware of. I don't know if this is par for course. Builders charge way over the top for rainwater harvesting systems and figures of $5-6k are frequently mentioned. One recent thread on this forum stated that they learnt that their builder was charging $9,000 for their system but they were in NSW from memory. A 2,000 litre tank is also too small, you should have a small tank at the house for aesthetics and a bigger settling tank away from the house. $2,000 should be tops for a good 2,000 litre system. Most tanks are also poorly set up and under utilised. The current Melbourne 3 tier water pricing system is about to change. With the current system, the cost of water increases as you move from one tier to the next and the sewerage disposal charge also decreases with a reduction in water use. Moving from a higher use /higher cost tier to a lower tier gives the most savings. If a builder has control, you will never get your money back, let alone save money. 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Solar HWS or 2000lt tank? 6Mar 22, 2013 5:46 am Some great info.....thanks. Luckily for us, the option of the tank or SHW is already included in the building quote (well as far as I know anyway)! There was just a little note in the corner of the preliminary drawings that said something about 6-star rating and Solar HW or water tank to be advised. Since it is a fairly small sub-divided block, the agent told us that they would probably spec the hot water system, but we found out later we could specify a tank if we wanted it. I don't really care I just want the cheapest operating costs in the long run, and I never water the garden so I guess a tank would be largely useless, plus take up valuable backyard space. 18 90481 From what I know about water tanks (I've been working with a client on them for a few years now) is this - The concrete can last a lifetime if they don't crack for some… 2 10629 Thanks for letting us know. The programmer will have a look at this later today. 2 6683 |