In the solar hot water industry in Australia, there’s been an ongoing argument for years about which solar hot water configuration is better – flat plate or evacuated tubes.
While it can be a case of horses for courses, generally speaking evacuated tube systems are a better option for the majority of Australian homes as they capture more sunlight due to having a greater surface area and are more efficient in transferring heat.
Regardless, flat plate supporters have pointed out that if evacuated tube systems were the more efficient option, then why do these systems attract fewer Renewable Energy Certificates, aka RECs, compared to flat plate systems of a similar price?
Renewable Energy Certificates are an electronic form of currency initiated by the Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000. A REC is equivalent to one megawatt hour of electricity generation. RECs are issued when qualifying renewable energy products are purchased, such as solar power or solar hot water systems. Renewable energy certificates can be traded for cash, or are offered as a point of sale discount by some providers. The value of these certificates fluctuates according to market conditions.
The RECs argument has been rendered somewhat null and void with the announcement from Hills yesterday that the Office of Renewable Energy (ORER) have confirmed the Hills Esteem evacuated tube solar hot water product range now has an increased number of RECs allocated per system when purchased and installed within Australia.
Not only does this decision by the ORER provide official recognition of the efficiency of the Hills Esteem evacuated tube system, but the added Renewable Energy Certificates also translate to extra savings of up to a couple of hundred dollars on these systems. This is on top of the current REC levels and government rebates that in total can reduce the price of a Hills solar hot water system by thousands of dollars.
