-What other technical reason besides money making exist for the SABS praxis to only test “Systems” and not components?
It is not international praxis. It gives not the Efficiency and heat loss of the collector for international comparing.
The Q- factor only shows the performance under certain circumstances but gives no possibility to valued a system of the performance in practice and compare it with other collectors (pipe length, installation angle, installation direction, system heat loss).
It is as good as to ask a plumber to register every house installation again as soon as there is an other make taps or shower heads or geyser in this installation and he have to pay $4000 every time.
-Why is the testing report valid only for one year when no technical changes are made? Please keep in mind, a test cost about R40000 and after a year you have to register with mark approval- R60000. Lots of mark approval systems are on the weaker side of the marked (have a look at the rebates some of them get).
-Why are internationally recognized test results only applicable for commercial installation but not for domestic users.
The only “harsher” circumstance in SA than in other countries is the higher radiation. This higher radiation is not brought into consideration for most registered systems (recommended collector sizes are identical with international recommended sizes. This lead to some danger configurations especially by registered EVT systems-without any concern from SABS side.
-How can it be that registered companies recommend and install systems with a capacity
up to 150l per person and get a rebate. This is a waste of money of the client . On the other hand it is not energy efficient at all! Water saving showerheads are much more efficient and cheaper.
-Why is parallel installation applicable as it is much less efficient and energy wasting configuration?
-Why are there no minimum requirements for installation angle and -direction?
The systems are tested at latitude plus 10. If these systems are installed at 23 degrees in Cape Town (latitude-10), and most systems are, the thermal output in winter will be only about 80% of the tested results and will be an additional, none usable surplus in summer. For what is the rebate? What for the systems are tested?
-You even can find installations in south direction and/ or under latitude –10!
Kwikot even recommend “The solar vacuum tubes should be installed on a roof pitch greater than 8°and less than 30°” on there web site! This is a very danger installation and should be not allow if the heat output of a system in the summer months (30Mj + per m2 per d radiation) is higher than the normal demand of the system ( most of the installed systems). The power output of a latitude plus 10 installed system in summer is about 130% of the winter output (16Mj + per m2 per d radiation). On the other hand, the power output of latitude minus 10-installed system in summer is about 200% of the winter output. That means 50% of the rebate for such systems are paid to warm up the environment and not to save energy.
-Why are low-pressure EVT- systems allow for low cost housing under SA
Circumstances? It is very dangers! Only flat plate systems with safety components should be aloud!
-Why are freeze protection valves allow if they not working properly?
-Why become rebate applicable for oversized systems? If system produce enough KWh
by 16Mj radiation it will produce un-useable surplus at 30Mj. Why can I register such systems without any heat dump facility? (esp. Tubes)
– How is it possible to register systems without tempering valve in houses where there is not even mixing taps. Are the SABS experts not aware of what happening if somebody open a tap and 90deg or hotter water comes out?
-The age of a retrofit geyser might be not an issue anymore (???), but a 2 year old solar geyser from the same company (Kwikot) can not receive a rebate for a retrofit geyser system – why?
– Why are not retrofitted systems on gravity geysers allow? We installed a
lot of them (pumped and thermosyphonic) and they working very well. We can install them from R6500 (without any rebate!) and a lot of people can effort this, but not R12000 ore more
-How on earth can SA install 1mio systems (about 17 installations per week per registered Company) until 2013 if we stand after 3 years on 55000 (about 1 installation per week per registered Company)?
May be by involving more interested installers? As far as I know is the majority of the SWH installations still done by installers out-side the Eskom Rebate Program.
If the rebates disappear today, most of the so-called bigger role-players will disappear with it.
