Compare Heating Solutions

	Solar	Gas	Geyser	Heat Pump
Main Feature	Vessel Under Pressure Stores Water	Stores No Water	Vessel Under Pressure Stores Water	Vessel Under Pressure Stores Water
Heat Source	Sun	Gas (LPG or NG)	Electricity	Ambient Air
Backup Power	Generator	UPS	Generator	Generator
System Components	Solar Collectors Tank with Electric Element Direct Circulation Pump Indirect Glycol Circulation Brackets for Mounting	Heat Exchanger Burner Gas Connection PC Board Fan	Electric Element PRV & TP Valve Vacuum Breakers Tray – In roof	Tank Compressor 4 Way Valve
Safety	TP Valve on Tank	150 point safety check / sec	TP Valve	TP Valve on Tank
Maintenance	Solar Collectors roof mounted Exposed to external elements High and Low temperatures can be experienced causing damage to the collectors and tank System could be difficult to service	Unit is externally mounted making it easily visible and accessible to service when required. No electric components are exposed to water	Geyser is located in the roof making it difficult to service Can cause damage to personal property Anode needs to be changed regularly	System will need to run continuously Anode changed regularly to protect tank Compressor is externally mounted
Disadvantages	Limited Hot Water – 80% of Storage Tank Most hot water will be consumed at night – No Sun System is not easy to install and configuration is vital Potential exists for damage due to exposure to adverse weather conditions Units still required the same amount of electricity as a geyser	Requires a minimum amount of electricity for safety checks and ignition	The main consumer of electricity in the home Requires water to be stored Limited Hot Water	Requires water to be circulated continuously High Maintenance Only Lower Temperatures can be achieved compared to other units
Advantages	The sun will reduce energy consumption by reducing the temperature rise of ambient water	You only pay for what you consume Delivers an endless supply of hot water Higher Flow Rates per minute Easy to maintain Requires no water storage Can easily be operated by a UPS or other type of backup power system Desired Water Temperature can be set Reduce Water Waste Minimize dependency on Eskom	Has been the predominant provider of hot water in many homes	Consumes lower levels of electricity Needs a tank with an electric element
Influences	Is impacted by weather conditions Eskom National Grid Power	Not affected by weather Site specific energy delivery Not dependent on Eskom	Not dependent on weather Eskom National Grid Power	Not dependent on weather Eskom National Grid Power