Getting building consent to install a solar hot-water system ensures the job will be done properly and safely, Wanganui District Council customer services manager Melanie Heron says.
Graham and Lyn Pearson, whose new solar, hot-water system featured recently in the Wanganui Chronicle, did not know they needed consent.
Ms Heron said the
council had received several phone calls after the story appeared. The upshot was that the Pearsons were now applying for consent.
The Pearsons had since had their system installer back to add roof strengthening and possibly replace a valve - just in case that was needed.
Council officers would ensure the work complied with the building code, Ms Heron said. That would include checking construction, flashings and water temperature.
Otherwise, there could be problems, such as the roof collapsing from the weight of the tank, the roof leaking or scalding water coming out of the taps.
"It is essential that anyone planning building or home improvement work check with council to see if consent is needed before going ahead. Solar installations require building consent," said Ms Heron.
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) compliance leader Eddie Thompson agreed that building consent was always needed when installing solar hot-water heating. Getting consent would sort out 98 per cent of possible problems.
He added two other concerns to Ms Heron's list: Making sure the system was protected from frost and making sure water temperature was regularly high enough to kill organisms that cause Legionnaire's disease.
The Chinese AT system installed for the Pearsons was similar to the one Mr Thompson had at his own house.
He said China had hundreds of solar-heating systems, and most would meet European standards.
The one the Pearsons chose was not among the 448 systems eligible for an EECA subsidy but that was only because its panels could not be separated from its tank for testing.
