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March 1, 2022XTEND as an Alternative to Solar Thermal and Heat Pumps for New Build Residential Properties
Try XTEND elements + Solar PV as an alternative to solar thermal or heat pumps
Introduction
XTEND elements use less power than a normal element and offer a new way to look at your build costs. The purpose of this article is to outline how this is achieved, at a high level.
Water heating is always a significant budget item on a new build. There is ongoing debate about centralised water heating v geysers. There is no one solution, every property needs to be assessed for what is suitable. We believe that XTEND elements offer a design option worthy of consideration.
Solar PV and batteries are more and more in demand as Eskom fails. XTEND elements offer a way to restructure the build costs to enable installation of solar PV.
What are XTEND elements?
XTEND elements are an efficient, stainless steel encased, PTC ceramic geyser element. XTEND elements are SABS certified and approved for installation by most major manufacturers.
XTEND elements convert electricity to heat energy about 25% more efficiently than a standard element. This is not magic, just reduced losses in the heating process. These results have been verified by multiple independent tests including tests at the Kwikot test facility.
A bath uses around 100L of hot water and a shower around 50L. How much is 25% savings daily in an average home? It depends how much hot water you use and how much you heat it. The image below is a reasonable indication.
A 2kW XTEND element heats at around the same rate as a 3kW spiral element. A 2Kw Xtend will fully heat a 200L geyser in around 3 hours. This is fast enough for most homes.
This reduction in power required makes XTEND elements ideally suited for integrating the geyser(s) with a solar PV system.
More about XTEND elements and solar PV www.xtendelements.co.za
How do XTEND elements change things?
On large apartment buildings, centralised heat-pump systems make sense, providing the water consumption post build is sufficient to cover the maintenance and running costs. XTEND elements are not designed to replace these systems but would reduce running costs where these systems rely on element backup.
On individual houses and small residential developments, solar thermal or heat pumps have been added to the geyser since the introduction of the new-build efficiency requirements for water heating. Where there is more than one geyser, more than one of these systems is required. These systems add cost for the developer. This is a standard and everybody is installing these systems. They provide no point of differentiation for a development.
XTEND elements offer an alternative to these. Installing an XTEND element in the geyser has the following advantages:
- Geyser location is more flexible for design
- No additional pipework around the geyser
- 25% of the 50% energy efficiency is achieved
- Around R15-20,000 capex saved per geyser
This saving can be allocated to a solar PV system. At the same budget, a small system can be installed. For a larger investment, by the developer or the buyer, a more substantial system can be installed.
Example
- A house using 200 litre per day will use around 4,000 kWh per annum to heat the water.
- Xtend element will save 1,000 kWh and reduce usage to 3,000 kWh
- A 1 kWp solar PV system will produce 1,400 – 1,950 kWh per annum
- 1,000 kWh saved + 1,500 kW generated = 2,500/4,000 > 50% not from the grid.
It is unlikely that a 1 kWh system would be installed, but not impossible. The incremental costs are minimal to increase the size.
A well sized residential PV system will generate more power than the house requires for most of the year. It is only in the winter months when there will be under-generation. Once the batteries are full and the house load covered, the surplus power is efficiently stored in the geyser as heat. By putting the geyser on a timer, you can maximise your solar PV production and minimise electricity purchases.
The developer has various options
- Solar thermal or heat pumps
- Add XTEND elements to these for efficiency outside of sunlight hours
- XTEND element + small PV system to meet building regulations
- XTEND element + larger system, as chosen by buyer in the Offer to Purchase (OTP)
Mortgage providers are coming up with loans that allow for installation of solar systems. For investment landlords, the reduced monthly bills for the tenant will translate into increased rentals.
With XTEND elements you do not need separate systems for each geyser. The geysers act as the perfect energy store to store a large portion of the power produced by a PV system in the day.
Benefits of Xtend element + solar PV to homeowner
- Less plumbing = lower maintenance costs over time
- Solar PV energy can power geyser or any other appliance
- Geyser absorbs spare energy from PV system
- Lower monthly energy costs
- Backup power if they have opted for batteries
We believe that this is a better product for the homeowner. They can opt to have a bigger or smaller PV system installed in the Offer to Purchase. The incremental costs will be lower as the hot water budget has already supplemented the cost of the PV system.
Small to Medium Sectional Title Developments?
If there are multiple homes in a cluster, a single PV system can be installed centrally. This reduces the build cost per watt and offers the following choices:
- Developer pays for PV and sells to landlords as part of transaction
- Developer pays for PV and has PPA (power purchase agreement) with the body corporate, earning the developer annuity revenue
- 3rd party funds solar PV with a PPA and the developer keeps the saved budget
These options can all be structured to suit each transaction. Lower prices than grid costs from the solar PV will make a good return for the owner of the plant and reduce costs for the residents.
Conclusion
Solar PV is simple to install. Prices have dropped significantly, especially for batteries. People want to generate their own power, not just heat their geysers. This is yesterday’s news. In fact, without electricity to drive the heat pumps and solar pumps, the water heating systems do not work.
Installing an XTEND element and solar PV is a better product for a similar budget. The developer, depending on what they are building, has multiple options to restructure costs.
Author: Rich Pickering (XTEND elements)
Try XTEND elements + Solar PV as an alternative to solar thermal or heat pumps
Introduction
XTEND elements use less power than a normal element and offer a new way to look at your build costs. The purpose of this article is to outline how this is achieved, at a high level.
Water heating is always a significant budget item on a new build. There is ongoing debate about centralised water heating v geysers. There is no one solution, every property needs to be assessed for what is suitable. We believe that XTEND elements offer a design option worthy of consideration.
Solar PV and batteries are more and more in demand as Eskom fails. XTEND elements offer a way to restructure the build costs to enable installation of solar PV.
What are XTEND elements?
XTEND elements are an efficient, stainless steel encased, PTC ceramic geyser element. XTEND elements are SABS certified and approved for installation by most major manufacturers.
XTEND elements convert electricity to heat energy about 25% more efficiently than a standard element. This is not magic, just reduced losses in the heating process. These results have been verified by multiple independent tests including tests at the Kwikot test facility.
A bath uses around 100L of hot water and a shower around 50L. How much is 25% savings daily in an average home? It depends how much hot water you use and how much you heat it. The image below is a reasonable indication.
A 2kW XTEND element heats at around the same rate as a 3kW spiral element. A 2Kw Xtend will fully heat a 200L geyser in around 3 hours. This is fast enough for most homes.
This reduction in power required makes XTEND elements ideally suited for integrating the geyser(s) with a solar PV system.
More about XTEND elements and solar PV www.xtendelements.co.za
How do XTEND elements change things?
On large apartment buildings, centralised heat-pump systems make sense, providing the water consumption post build is sufficient to cover the maintenance and running costs. XTEND elements are not designed to replace these systems but would reduce running costs where these systems rely on element backup.
On individual houses and small residential developments, solar thermal or heat pumps have been added to the geyser since the introduction of the new-build efficiency requirements for water heating. Where there is more than one geyser, more than one of these systems is required. These systems add cost for the developer. This is a standard and everybody is installing these systems. They provide no point of differentiation for a development.
XTEND elements offer an alternative to these. Installing an XTEND element in the geyser has the following advantages:
- Geyser location is more flexible for design
- No additional pipework around the geyser
- 25% of the 50% energy efficiency is achieved
- Around R15-20,000 capex saved per geyser
This saving can be allocated to a solar PV system. At the same budget, a small system can be installed. For a larger investment, by the developer or the buyer, a more substantial system can be installed.
Example
- A house using 200 litre per day will use around 4,000 kWh per annum to heat the water.
- Xtend element will save 1,000 kWh and reduce usage to 3,000 kWh
- A 1 kWp solar PV system will produce 1,400 – 1,950 kWh per annum
- 1,000 kWh saved + 1,500 kW generated = 2,500/4,000 > 50% not from the grid.
It is unlikely that a 1 kWh system would be installed, but not impossible. The incremental costs are minimal to increase the size.
A well sized residential PV system will generate more power than the house requires for most of the year. It is only in the winter months when there will be under-generation. Once the batteries are full and the house load covered, the surplus power is efficiently stored in the geyser as heat. By putting the geyser on a timer, you can maximise your solar PV production and minimise electricity purchases.
The developer has various options
- Solar thermal or heat pumps
- Add XTEND elements to these for efficiency outside of sunlight hours
- XTEND element + small PV system to meet building regulations
- XTEND element + larger system, as chosen by buyer in the Offer to Purchase (OTP)
Mortgage providers are coming up with loans that allow for installation of solar systems. For investment landlords, the reduced monthly bills for the tenant will translate into increased rentals.
With XTEND elements you do not need separate systems for each geyser. The geysers act as the perfect energy store to store a large portion of the power produced by a PV system in the day.
Benefits of Xtend element + solar PV to homeowner
- Less plumbing = lower maintenance costs over time
- Solar PV energy can power geyser or any other appliance
- Geyser absorbs spare energy from PV system
- Lower monthly energy costs
- Backup power if they have opted for batteries
We believe that this is a better product for the homeowner. They can opt to have a bigger or smaller PV system installed in the Offer to Purchase. The incremental costs will be lower as the hot water budget has already supplemented the cost of the PV system.
Small to Medium Sectional Title Developments?
If there are multiple homes in a cluster, a single PV system can be installed centrally. This reduces the build cost per watt and offers the following choices:
- Developer pays for PV and sells to landlords as part of transaction
- Developer pays for PV and has PPA (power purchase agreement) with the body corporate, earning the developer annuity revenue
- 3rd party funds solar PV with a PPA and the developer keeps the saved budget
These options can all be structured to suit each transaction. Lower prices than grid costs from the solar PV will make a good return for the owner of the plant and reduce costs for the residents.
Conclusion
Solar PV is simple to install. Prices have dropped significantly, especially for batteries. People want to generate their own power, not just heat their geysers. This is yesterday’s news. In fact, without electricity to drive the heat pumps and solar pumps, the water heating systems do not work.
Installing an XTEND element and solar PV is a better product for a similar budget. The developer, depending on what they are building, has multiple options to restructure costs.
Author: Rich Pickering (XTEND elements)
Try XTEND elements + Solar PV as an alternative to solar thermal or heat pumps
Introduction
XTEND elements use less power than a normal element and offer a new way to look at your build costs. The purpose of this article is to outline how this is achieved, at a high level.
Water heating is always a significant budget item on a new build. There is ongoing debate about centralised water heating v geysers. There is no one solution, every property needs to be assessed for what is suitable. We believe that XTEND elements offer a design option worthy of consideration.
Solar PV and batteries are more and more in demand as Eskom fails. XTEND elements offer a way to restructure the build costs to enable installation of solar PV.
What are XTEND elements?
XTEND elements are an efficient, stainless steel encased, PTC ceramic geyser element. XTEND elements are SABS certified and approved for installation by most major manufacturers.
XTEND elements convert electricity to heat energy about 25% more efficiently than a standard element. This is not magic, just reduced losses in the heating process. These results have been verified by multiple independent tests including tests at the Kwikot test facility.
A bath uses around 100L of hot water and a shower around 50L. How much is 25% savings daily in an average home? It depends how much hot water you use and how much you heat it. The image below is a reasonable indication.
A 2kW XTEND element heats at around the same rate as a 3kW spiral element. A 2Kw Xtend will fully heat a 200L geyser in around 3 hours. This is fast enough for most homes.
This reduction in power required makes XTEND elements ideally suited for integrating the geyser(s) with a solar PV system.
More about XTEND elements and solar PV www.xtendelements.co.za
How do XTEND elements change things?
On large apartment buildings, centralised heat-pump systems make sense, providing the water consumption post build is sufficient to cover the maintenance and running costs. XTEND elements are not designed to replace these systems but would reduce running costs where these systems rely on element backup.
On individual houses and small residential developments, solar thermal or heat pumps have been added to the geyser since the introduction of the new-build efficiency requirements for water heating. Where there is more than one geyser, more than one of these systems is required. These systems add cost for the developer. This is a standard and everybody is installing these systems. They provide no point of differentiation for a development.
XTEND elements offer an alternative to these. Installing an XTEND element in the geyser has the following advantages:
- Geyser location is more flexible for design
- No additional pipework around the geyser
- 25% of the 50% energy efficiency is achieved
- Around R15-20,000 capex saved per geyser
This saving can be allocated to a solar PV system. At the same budget, a small system can be installed. For a larger investment, by the developer or the buyer, a more substantial system can be installed.
Example
- A house using 200 litre per day will use around 4,000 kWh per annum to heat the water.
- Xtend element will save 1,000 kWh and reduce usage to 3,000 kWh
- A 1 kWp solar PV system will produce 1,400 – 1,950 kWh per annum
- 1,000 kWh saved + 1,500 kW generated = 2,500/4,000 > 50% not from the grid.
It is unlikely that a 1 kWh system would be installed, but not impossible. The incremental costs are minimal to increase the size.
A well sized residential PV system will generate more power than the house requires for most of the year. It is only in the winter months when there will be under-generation. Once the batteries are full and the house load covered, the surplus power is efficiently stored in the geyser as heat. By putting the geyser on a timer, you can maximise your solar PV production and minimise electricity purchases.
The developer has various options
- Solar thermal or heat pumps
- Add XTEND elements to these for efficiency outside of sunlight hours
- XTEND element + small PV system to meet building regulations
- XTEND element + larger system, as chosen by buyer in the Offer to Purchase (OTP)
Mortgage providers are coming up with loans that allow for installation of solar systems. For investment landlords, the reduced monthly bills for the tenant will translate into increased rentals.
With XTEND elements you do not need separate systems for each geyser. The geysers act as the perfect energy store to store a large portion of the power produced by a PV system in the day.
Benefits of Xtend element + solar PV to homeowner
- Less plumbing = lower maintenance costs over time
- Solar PV energy can power geyser or any other appliance
- Geyser absorbs spare energy from PV system
- Lower monthly energy costs
- Backup power if they have opted for batteries
We believe that this is a better product for the homeowner. They can opt to have a bigger or smaller PV system installed in the Offer to Purchase. The incremental costs will be lower as the hot water budget has already supplemented the cost of the PV system.
Small to Medium Sectional Title Developments?
If there are multiple homes in a cluster, a single PV system can be installed centrally. This reduces the build cost per watt and offers the following choices:
- Developer pays for PV and sells to landlords as part of transaction
- Developer pays for PV and has PPA (power purchase agreement) with the body corporate, earning the developer annuity revenue
- 3rd party funds solar PV with a PPA and the developer keeps the saved budget
These options can all be structured to suit each transaction. Lower prices than grid costs from the solar PV will make a good return for the owner of the plant and reduce costs for the residents.
Conclusion
Solar PV is simple to install. Prices have dropped significantly, especially for batteries. People want to generate their own power, not just heat their geysers. This is yesterday’s news. In fact, without electricity to drive the heat pumps and solar pumps, the water heating systems do not work.
Installing an XTEND element and solar PV is a better product for a similar budget. The developer, depending on what they are building, has multiple options to restructure costs.
Author: Rich Pickering (XTEND elements)
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