Solar power way to cut costs

Paul Robinson has been in a sunnier mood since he began getting his winter power bills.
"We bought an apartment [18 months ago] with solar panelling and it has been pretty good to us. It runs our water heating system and the power bills have been a lot lower ... about $90 a month in winter."
Paul, who has a family of four, had to face power bills of up to $300 a month at his former address.
A portion of the water at his new abode is heated by electricity during winter but in summer it can be switched over to the panels completely - resulting in monthly electricity bills as low as $40.
"We were lucky because we missed out on footing the installation cost.
"I guess at some stage there will have to be some maintenance done on it, but for now the panels have just sat on the roof and have been no hassle at all."
Rotorua electrician Rob Duthie specialises in installing solar heating panels and said few people realised the long term benefits of such a system.
"In terms of power costs of water heating it is about a third to a half."
Mr Duthie said he was at a loss to understand why the Government was not doing more to promote and encourage alternative heating.
"They are not giving any real incentives. The cost of fuel is going to skyrocket over the next few years, so people will be in for a real shock when that happens.
"It's amazing that the Government is spending $500 million on power lines, but if they spent that money on solar water heating for people's homes, then it would save a whole lot more money down the track. All they are doing at the moment is helping some corporations to get rich."
Solar energy has huge environmental benefits - it is an infinitely renewable resource which has virtually no adverse effects on the environment.
Solar heating systems should save at least 50 per cent, maybe as much as 75 per cent, of the typical cost of heating hot water. While it will provide plenty of hot water on sunny summer days, in winter there will not be enough hot water.
The lack of sun in the winter can be offset by the use of a wetback on a woodburner, minimising the use of electricity for hot water.
But installing solar hot water systems is an expensive mission which can cost between $4000 and $7000 - and the benefits take some time to be seen.
Research shows it generally takes between eight and 12 years for the amount saved in power bills to pay for the cost of installation.
Solar panels are usually, but not always, mounted on the roof. Ideally they need to face north, tilted at an angle corresponding to the latitude in which you live.
About one square metre of panelling is required for each person in a household and for a four-person household, a cylinder of about 300 litres is needed.
Panels can be damaged if they freeze in winter, and in areas like the Central North Island they need built-in protection.
* On Monday, the final of our series, we look at geothermal energy.