Did you see our recent editorial and advert in The Mercury Home Magazine ?…. see below …..

Saving money and reducing your carbon footprint is easy, let me explain.

Consistent energy use makes for an easy first choice and then add thermal storage capacity into the equation and high energy use, wow! it could not get any simpler.

Hot water can account for up to 30% of your household energy use, add in teenagers and it could double!! Having consistent energy use like hot water usage makes for the first easy step, look at this well before you consider anything else.

Have you ever been to the recycle centre and seen all those old failed hot water cylinders? Not one of them are ever stainless steel, this should make your first choice simple, choose a replacement system with a stainless-steel cylinder, some have up to a 15-year warranty.

Whether you choose an evacuated tube system or a heat pump system, you need to consider thermal storage, with the evacuated system you need to harness and store the most energy you can, therefore a larger tank and larger collector is recommended, also critical is how you control the electric element, a timer, a specialised controller is necessary, it is not advisable to just turn the element off, nasty bacteria can form in the water if it is not heated to 60 degrees once a week.

Thermal storage, larger collector and a smart controller are items you do not need to consider if you go down the heat pump route. The Sanden system is 500 per cent efficient, therefore it will save you 80 per cent of your current electric hot water cylinder. Roof area, orientation and inclination are all important factors when considering an evacuated system.

The smart choice would be a Sanden heat pump hot water system, they are the most efficient system on the market today, they have stainless-steel tank and a Japanese heat pump unit.

One last point to consider, if you are to choose a Sanden system you can save up to $700 per year for a family of four, whereas other systems may save you 2 kilowatt hours per day, which only equals $125 dollars per year. Therefore, consider the capital cost and payback period when choosing your product and system.