Welcome to on-sunsolar.com
NEWS AND VIEWS
20 August 2010
Welcome to our budget DIY website.
If you are using Windows Internet Explorer, try pressing your F11 key to take you into full-screen view for a better read!
SABS MARK SOLAR WATER HEATERS BROKE IN JOBURG BIG FREEZE!
Temperatures of -5 degrees Celsius were predicted for Johannesburg on the night of Wednesday 16 June (Youth Day in South Africa). Sub-zero temperatures were recorded for the several days that followed, and heavy frost was experienced. People started calling Radio 702 to complain that their newly acquired, SABS mark-holding, Eskom subsidised solar water heaters had broken. Information to hand indicates that a number of imported flat-plate collectors, supposedly freeze-resistant and SABS mark-approved, had failed in the cold weather! These collectors rely on a valve to protect them from freezing - as temperatures drop to around 2 degrees, the valve is supposed to open and release water from the collector.
Unfortunately, those who have been in the solar business for any length of time know that these valves are not reliable and simply don't work in our very extreme conditions. They have been tried in the past and failed. They may operate in the SABS test chambers, but they don't always work up on the windy winter roof where Mother Nature waves her chilly wand. Now there is trouble because Eskom approved these systems for subsidies on the grounds that they had passed the required SABS tests and also hold the vaunted SABS mark!
(It is reported that the company concerned has replaced all the broken systems and also paid homeowners a cash amount for the electricity they had to use to heat their water while their solar systems were inoperative. Well done to that company! It must have been an expensive exercise.)
But this was clearly a disaster waiting to happen, as so many new players in the solar water heating game have flocked to the field, attracted by the potential of big profits through the Eskom subsidy scheme. The vast majority of solar water heater suppliers in this country have been in business for less than three years, and their products have no track record in South Africa. The reputation of the SABS and Eskom has been dented as a result of this extensive product failure. It has all happened before, more than 25 years ago in the mid-1980s, when the temperature at the then Jan Smuts Airport plunged to minus 7 degrees Celsius. When will they ever learn?
Unfortunately nobody can take any pleasure from the misfortunes of the company in question. They marketed a direct system that was allegedly freeze-resisant, and they loudly extolled the virtues of direct systems over indirect systems. In doing so they have caused damage to the solar water heating industry in general, and to the reputation of direct solar water heaters in particular.
We market and instal the only direct solar water heater in South Africa that is truly freeze-resistant without the use of valves, pumps or other devices. We stand by our product and its track record of operation in freezing conditions.
The On-Sun DIRECT solar water heater was first designed and built in 1990, and has now been in service for 20 years!
As a result of this debacle, the suppliers of indirect solar water heaters are beating their drums loudly and urging South Africans not to instal direct solar water heaters in areas that get frost. This is highly prejudicial to our product, but we remain confident and focussed in the knowledge that we have numerous satisfied clients in Gauteng, Lesotho, the Free State and the Northern Cape whose On-Sun direct solar water heaters easily withstood the cold snap of 2010 without a problem.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR LOCALLY DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED SOLAR WATER HEATER
I offer you my experience and time to consult, discuss and conduct a free site visit to assess your solar water heating requirements, within reasonable distances around Gauteng. When you buy an On-Sun system from us, I will personally be on site with my team to install and commission it. When you buy our South African On-Sun solar water heating system, you own the system and you make the savings in electricity. Every year you save more as the cost of electricity goes up.
When you buy an On-Sun system from us, you become part of our growing family.
Contacts: Landline 011-680-1553; Mobile 083-650-1768; e-mail John.Ledger@wol.co.za
Summary of current prices: Standard 150 litre On-Sun is R9,980. Installation is R1,950 plus materials used. Average installed price is usually around R13,000.
We are NOT part of the Eskom subsidy scheme. Why Not? Please read our comments further on.
Most of our installations involve fitting the On-Sun 150 as a pre-heater in series with your existing electric geyser. Used correctly, this combination should reduce your geyser's electricity consumption by around 80%. Please read our item below about the rationale for installing the On-Sun as a pre-heater to your existing geyser.
There is no such thing as FREE HOT WATER . You have to pay for the equipment, or you have to pay for the fuel, in different proportions, according to the technology you employ.
You can buy a cheap electric geyser and then pay a lot for expensive electricityduring the lifetime of the geyser. Or you can buy an expensive solar water heater and pay nothing for the solar energy it will employ to make hot water. But when there is no sun, you still need some back-up, or you will shower in cold water!
You can get hot water by using electricity, gas, wood, coal or solar. Solar provides an elegant solution, and once your equipment is paid for, the recurrent costs of the solar energy are free. But our climate is such that there will always be times when the sun is not shining, and you will need another energy source if you want hot water.
The weather in Gauteng during the first quarter of 2010 clearly demonstrated this, with rain and overcast throughout most of the period, even into April and May. This is a phenomenon that happens from time to time; it is caused by moist air from central Africa being fed into southern Africa. It has nothing to do with 'Climate Change' as some would lead you to believe.
We always do a site visit before quoting, to make sure that we identify any problems beforehand and that our installation will go smoothly. We have an electronic brochure that we will send to you by e-mail on request. It contains some useful information that is not on this site.
Thank you to all our clients for your continued support in 2010!
-------------------------------------------------------------------
ABOUT GAUTENG SOLAR SOLUTIONS
We promote, market and instal On-Sun South African Solar Water Heaters in Gauteng Province, the vibrant business and economic hub of South Africa.
We are Corporate Members of the Sustainable Energy Society of Southern Africa (SESSA) and of the Solar Water Heating Division (SWHD) of SESSA. Members of the SWHD sign a Code of Conduct which gives you the assurance that SESSA will act against a member who does unsatisfactory work or is responsible for complaints from customers. The SWHD has an OMBUDSMAN who will intervene if a client is unhappy with one of its members.
SESSA is a non-government, non-profit organization that represents the renewable energy sector in Southern Africa. SESSA has three active Divisions, namely the Solar Water Heating Division (SWHD), the Photo Voltaic Sales and Marketing Division (PVSM) and the renewable energy cooking division (AFRECA). Visit the SESSA website at www.sessa.org.za for more information.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gauteng Solar Solutions - Our Business
We have only one product, the truly remarkable On-Sun solar water heating system, designed by Willi Suremann twenty years ago in 1990 and built by hand in his small factory in Ladybrand, in the Free State province of South Africa. We devote all our efforts to placing these "personal power stations" on as many South African roofs as we can, to harvest the abundant energy of the African sun.
Each time we instal another On-Sun system, we celebrate a small victory for the environment - a little less electricity used to heat water; a little less coal used to generate that electricity; and a little less Carbon Dioxide emitted to change our climate. These small victories help other little steps towards the big effort required by all of humankind, to slow down our consumption of fossil fuel and reduce our damage to the environment.
The On-Sun South African Solar Water Heater embodies all Willi Suremann's experience and skills acquired over a lifetime of working with renewable energy. Thirty years ago, in 1980, Willi established a business to instal photovoltaic systems and solar water heaters for farmers, schools, clinics, hospitals and mission stations in the Eastern Free State and Lesotho, where the high altitude, intense solar radiation and freezing winters resulted in a very high failure rate of the various water heating products that he bought from other suppliers.
The only product that worked consistently well was the Van Leer direct system (no heat transfer fluid), manufactured with special machinery as a stainless steel "sandwich" that could withstand freezing by flexing to accommodate the increased volume of ice inside. There are still many Van Leer direct systems working in freezing conditions in South Africa. Below is one that Willi installed in Ladybrand in 1980. In April 2007 he removed the system for refurbishing. Although the old fibreglass covers were almost completely opaque, the system was still working and making hot water. After cleaning the panels and fitting new toughened glass, the 30 year old system is now as good as new again!
Van Leer panels before refurbishing Panels refitted to roof after refurbishing
You will hear and read a lot of propaganda from people who only market indirect systems about why direct systems cannot be used in areas that experience frost. The Van Leer collector is a direct system that is still operational after 30 years. It is often said that 'direct systems' must not be installed in areas that get frost in winter - most direct systems cannot, but the On-Sun is a direct system that has been exposed to frost, ice and snow for 20 years!
The Dutch Van Leer company decided to withdraw from South Africa because of the country's apartheid policies. The machines used by Van Leer to make their unique collectors were bought by a competitor who changed the design, resulting in collectors that failed on a massive scale during a particularly cold winter in the mid 1980s that saw temperatures in Johannesburg drop to -7 degrees C. This resulted in a setback to the solar water heating industry that has persisted for 25 years. It is only recently that rising electricity costs and reliable solar water heaters are creating the renaissance in harnessing the power of the sun once again.
Having lost his only supply of reliable, freeze resistant, direct solar water heaters, Willi then set about designing his own system that would work equally effectively in this very tough environment.
His design challenge: how to build an efficient, durable, practical and aesthetically acceptable solar water heater that would operate at the extremes of very high solar radiation at high altitude, coupled with extremely high temperatures in summer, and freezing winter temperatures with ice and snow in winter?
Add to that Willi's philosophy that:
- the system had to be built by hand by unskilled but trained workers, to create jobs for poor people in an impoverished part of South Africa.
- it could be installed by any DIY enthusiast or competent handyman, and be easily repaired using ordinary tools.
- it would incorporate standard water pressure and electrical components available throughout South Africa and neighbouring countries from plumbing and hardware outlets.
- the system had to be resistant to both hail and freezing and be simple to instal and maintain.
- the system would have a clean and neat appearance when installed on the roof.
The result: The On-Sun South African Solar Water Heater! The On-Sun is a unique product, unlike any other solar water heater on the market
Today the On-Sun is the only freeze-tolerant, flat plate, direct system (no anti-freeze, pumps or valves) solar water heater made in South Africa!
What are the Advantages of the On-Sun system?
Here is a system that was installed on the ablution block of the Sehlabathebe Farm Training Centre in Lesotho in April 1992, and that is still going strong 18 years later!
If you have an existing electric geyser in good working condition, we recommend that you leave it in place and instal the On-Sun solar water heater in series to supply the geyser with water heated by the sun. Not only will this save you significant amounts of electricity, it also increases the total capacity of your hot water system. In such an installation the heating element of the On-Sun is not connected to the mains. This has the advantage that no new electrical work is required and therefore no new Certificate of Compliance needs to be issued by an electrician, which saves you money on the installation. On its own, an electric geyser of 150 litres with the thermostat set to 55 degrees C (recommended temperature that is adequately hot for bathing or showering) will use 6.1 kilowatt hours (kWh) to heat the water from say 20º (the incoming temperature) to 55º. Here is the calculation: 150 litres x 35º = 5 250 Kcal / 860 = 6.1 kWh In winter the incoming water might only be at a cold 5ºC, in which case the geyser will use 8.7 kWh to reach 55ºC. That’s a lot of energy! Here is the calculation: 150 litres x 50º = 7 500 Kcal / 860 = 8.7 kWh But if the incoming water is at a warm 40ºC, the geyser will use only 2.6 kWh to warm it to 55º C Here is the calculation: 150 litres x 15º = 2 250 Kcal / 860 = 2.6 kWh So you can see that warming the water supplying your geyser always reduces the use of electricity. The warmer the incoming water, the less electricity required to raise the temperature to 55ºC. As soon as the incoming water is at 55º C or higher, the thermostat will not switch on at all. This is how the On-Sun installed as a pre-heater works. On a sunny day hardly any electricity will be consumed by the geyser because the On-Sun will feed it with water above 60º. And even if it is cloudy the next day, there will still be warm water in the solar water heater so that the geyser element has to do less work to get the water temperature up to 55º C. We always insulate the piping carrying hot water from the solar water heater to the electric geyser with foam rubber sleeves. We recommend that your electric geyser should be fitted with a suitable insulating blanket, and that the hot outlet pipe of the geyser be fitted with a 1 metre insulating sleeve to reduce thermal loss. If your electric geyser does not already have an insulating cover fitted, we will do this for you at no charge at the time of installation. 
Lesotho has one of the harshest climates in Africa.The annual total solar radiation over the country is estimated to be between 5,700 MJ/sq m and 7,700 MJ/sq m. Temperatures are highly variable on diurnal, monthly and annual time scales. Normal monthly winter minimum temperatures range from -6.3 degrees C in the highlands to -5.1 degrees C in the lowlands. However, extremes of monthly mean winter minimum temperatures of -10.7 degrees C can be reached, and daily winter temperatures can drop as low as -21 degrees C. (Source: Lesotho Meteorological Services: www.lesmet.org.ls).
The On-Sun system is available in 100 litre, 150 litre and 300 litre configurations, operating at water pressures of either 100 kPa or 200 kPa. The most popular model is the one-piece On-Sun 150 litre 200 kPa system. This is the only On-Sun system that has passed all the SABS tests required for admission to the Eskom subsidy scheme.
Further variations include a 150 litre split system (the On-Sun 202) where the collector and tank are closely coupled by six standard connectors. The benefit of this configuration lies in simpler transport, an aluminium collector tray, and better safety on high roofs for the installer.
The On-Sun systems are available in a variety of tank covers, ranging from our standard galvanised steel (very durable and long-lasting in the high interior of South Africa), to aluminium for coastal areas, to stainless steel (for smart appearance everywhere!), and to Chromadek coated steel.
Please note that special tank covers cost extra, and are made to order. Stainless steel and stucco aluminium tank covers are available on order for single units; coloured Chromadek tank covers are only made for special orders of ten units or more, and by arrangement with the factory.
The standard galvanised steel tank covers can be painted to match roof colours. Please see our gallery below for some examples of painted tanks.
Computer-designed steel frames can be made up to provide the correct orientation on any roof slope. Below is a system recently installed on the west-sloping roof of a house built by a Korean businessman in Ladybrand. As Willi Suremann says "The wise man from the East has installed a product designed and made locally for local conditions!"
The On-Sun for Institutional Water Heating
As noted above at the Sehlabathebe Farm Training Centre, the On-Sun can be installed as multiple systems to provide large amounts of hot water for institutions. The photo below shows one of Willi Suremann's latest installations for a facility in Maseru, where a total of 10 x 150 litre units have been fitted to the roofs.
On-Sun has a Royal client!
I was searching the web for some information about Lesotho when I found a video feature about Prince Harry at an AIDS orphanage he has helped to sponsor in Maseru, Lesotho. He has a special interest in Lesotho and has visited the country many times.
As the Prince was being interviewed in front of the building, the On-Sun solar water heaters on the roof behind him were clearly visible! I think we can justifiably claim that Prince Harry is yet another of our esteemed On-Sun clients!
On-Sun complies with all four SABS Tests for the South African National Solar Water Heater Standards required by Eskom
SANS 1307 is the standard for exposure, rain penetration, hail resistance, freeze resistance, marking and the 250 000 pulsation test.
SANS 6211 is the standard for thermal performance (Q factor) and heat loss. The Q factor for the On-Sun 150 is 16.412 Megajoules at 16 MJ.
SANS 151 is the standard for fixed electric water storage heaters.
SANS 60335-2-21 is the standard for the safety of household and similar electrical appliances. Part 2 covers the particular requirements for storage water heaters.
The ON-SUN solar water heater fitted as a pre-heater to your existing geyser
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOME FEATURES OF THE ON-SUN SOUTH AFRICAN SOLAR WATER HEATING SYSTEM
The On-Sun has a very clean and neat appearance, as all the water controls are contained within the tank cover. The standard tank cover is galvanised steel, which can be painted to match the roof colour if required. Tank covers are also available in stucco aluminium or stainless steel. This is a standard 150 litre model, fitted flat on a north-facing pitched roof.
This On-Sun 150 litre unit is mounted on a steel frame on a flat roof, to achieve the correct orientation (true north) and tilt (35 degrees from horizontal at a latitude of 25 degrees South).
On-Sun mounted on the ground in 300 litre configuration. Here we use a special matched pair of 150 litre units that are closely connected in series. A cover over the connections makes for a very neat appearance, with no piping visible. Note the solar cooker in the background! We can supply these 2 square metre super solar cookers on request: our price is around R2 000 - very competitive and good value for money .
The On-Sun 100 litre system is well suited for low cost housing, providing a quality product at an affordable price. This system is installed on an experimental RDP house on the campus of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have been marketing and installing the On-Sun South African Patent Solar Water Heater in Gauteng, South Africa, for seven years now, and I have learnt to appreciate the very special qualities of this unique product.
We have installed On-Sun systems in Greylingstad and Nelspruit in Mpumalanga, Ventersdorp and Lichtenburg in North West, Pretoria in the north, and Meyerton in the south of Gauteng. We prefer to work in Gauteng, but remember that the On-Sun is easily installed by any plumber or handyman, so you can always pick up a unit from us and DO IT YOURSELF!
You can contact me by telephone at 011-680-1553, by mobile at 083-650-1768, by e-mail at John.Ledger@wol.co.za. Give me a call any time of the day, or leave a message if the line is busy. I enjoy talking to folks about renewable energy!
I also have an electronic brochure that gives further information about the On-Sun solar water heater, and it will be my pleasure to e-mail it to you on request.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOME RECENT INSTALLATIONS OF ON-SUN SOUTH AFRICAN SOLAR WATER HEATERS
113 Seventh Street, Linden
When a satisfied client orders a second On-Sun because the performance of the first is so good, we really feel proud of our product! Mrs Kirsch installed an On-Sun 150 litre system for her kitchen, scullery and outbuilding. It worked so well that she ordered a second one for her bathroom. We installed an On-Sun 150 202 split system close to the first. This house is now harvesting a significant amount of thermal energy from the sun, and cutting electricity costs! Mrs Kirsch is helping to reduce South Africa's coal and water consumption for electricity generation, and preventing significant amounts of carbon dioxide and other pollutants from entering the atmosphere every year.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21 First Avenue, Houghton
We installed three systems for a client in Houghton, Johannesburg. One standard 150 litre On-Sun was mounted on a frame on a horizontal concrete roof as a stand-alone supply with electric backup to a flat (we removed the existing geyser). A 150 litre 202 split system was installed on the main house as a pre-feed to the electric geyser, and a 100 litre system was fitted onto the roof of a patio next to the swimming pool, to supply hot water to an outdoor shower and a hand basin. The tank covers of the latter two systems were painted by the client's handyman to match the terracotta colour of the tiled roofs. He did a really great job!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14 Roxburghe Road, Craighall Park
Two On-Sun 150 units were installed, one on the main house (left) and the other on the outbuilding. The main house system was mounted flat onto the slate roof, while the system for the outbuilding was mounted on a steel frame to get the best inclination for year-round performance.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
31 Denton Place, Mondeor
On-Sun 150 system installed on a steel frame on a back-sloping IBR roof with loose tiles on top.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
17 Chamfuti Street, Sharonlea, Randburg
This On-Sun 150 has been painted to match the green tiled roof of the house. Water-based primer and roof paint from Prominent Paints was applied, after the tank cover and tray were thoroughly cleaned with galvanized steel cleaner and the fibreglass end-caps sanded with water paper. The paint is guaranteed for 7 years and the On-Sun can be touched up whenever the roof is repainted. The green solar water heater blends well with the roof, the awnings and the greenery of the garden. Because all the water controls, including the vacuum breakers, are housed inside the tank cover, we do not have insightly pipes projecting above the system.
The On-Sun is the only flat-plate, freeze-resistant, direct solar water, without special pumps or valves, on the South African market. The SABS test for freeze tolerance requires the system to be cooled to minus 20 degrees C and held there for 14 hours. With its 20 year pedigree in the snow and ice of Lesotho, the On-Sun had no problem with that particular challenge!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21 Denton Place, Mondeor
This is the On-Sun 150 litre system in the "202" split configuration. The tank and collector are supplied as separate, matched units. This makes the system easier to transport and lift onto steep roofs. In this particular installation, we had to get our solar water heater to the top of three stories, each ringed by a high parapet. The 202 system is much easier to handle in such a situation, reducing the risk of damage and accidents. In this case the system is mounted on a steel frame, and the collector is joined to the tank with six Cobra Conex straight couplers. The small gap is closed with a stainless steel cover to give a neat finish.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Eskom SWH Incentive Scheme
Eskom's incentive scheme to encourage South Africans to instal solar water heaters has grown steadily since the beginning of 2008. To find out more about the scheme, visit www.eskomdsm.co.za and follow the links to Solar Water Heating. All the information you need about the programme is on this web site.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ON-SUN Q and A
Q: Is the On-Sun South African Solar Water Heater currently accredited for the Eskom incentive scheme?
A: NO
The On-Sun 150 has passed all the tests for SABS 1307 (solar water heaters), SABS 6211 (thermal performance and heat loss), SABS 60335-2-21 (electrical safety) and SABS 151 (Fixed electric storage water heaters). All four tests are mandatory for entry to the Eskom incentive scheme.
Q: Do you expect the On-Sun system to be on the Eskom suppliers' list soon?
A: NO
Our system is competitive without a subsidy, and our customers make the choice. Participation in the Eskom subsidy scheme requires additional paperwork - someone has to pay for that.
Eskom demands that its accredited suppliers obtain the SABS mark within 12 months of being registered. For a small business like ours, the cost of obtaining the SABS mark is prohibitive. We would have to charge a lot more for our products.
As recent events have shown, SABS marked and Eskom-approved systems that qualify for the subsidy have failed during the recent cold spell in Gauteng.
Eskom approval and a subsidy are therefore no assurance that you will necessarily get a durable product, or that your supplier will be there to honour the five year guarantee.
Eskom has made it very clear that its subsidy scheme will reduce to nothing over the next five years. Furthermore, Goverment wants to take over the solar water heating initiative from Eskom for political and social motives.
As Africans we complain about agricultural subsidies in the EU that prejudice our food exports to Europe. How then do we expect to build a viable solar water heating industry on the basis of subsidies?
At the moment we have enough interest in the On-Sun to allocate our limited production to discerning buyers who want a unique and proven South African product that provides jobs for South Africans and uses local components.
The On-Sun is very competitively priced and can match most comparable systems that qualify for the Eskom subsidy - and then there is our 20-year track record that comes at no cost!
If you are not satisfied with your On-Sun solar water heater, let us know within three months and we will remove the system and refund your money in full. No arguments, no lawyers, no harsh words. That is just the way we want to do business with you!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Best wishes
John
20 August 2010
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------