NEW WATER HEATER STANDARDS FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA

From July the first 2008 new laws have affected all licensed plumbers who install hot water systems in South Australian homes.

Residential hot water systems are a significant cause of greenhouse gases and the new laws are aimed at reducing these emissions to help the environment.

The new laws apply to hot water systems being installed in new or renovated homes and when existing hot water systems are replaced at the end of their working life. The new laws do not apply to working hot water systems in homes or hot water systems used in commercial premises.

To operate within these new laws, plumbers will need to determine what types of hot water system they will be legally able to install in homes. The new standards have seen a change in the type of hot water system installed. The alternatives vary in different situations. If your on gas for example you'll find that your new gas unit has to be a 5 star unit meaning higher efficiency.  Five star hot water cylinders are more efficient by getting more heat out of the flue gases. Instantaneous units no longer work with pilot lights and when a new hot water system  is installed the shower heads need to be equipped with water saving discs, not only for water saving purpose but also to keep your energy costs down.

For electric hot water storage heater owners the changes can be rather painful in the back pocket.  If you lived in your house prior to the 1^st of July 2008 you can still change your cylinder to the one you've got at the moment up until the 1^st of July 2009.

If you moved into your house after the 1^st of July 2008 and your hot water service breaks down you will need to get gas installed to your house or you will have to change your system to solar electric boosted or a heat pump. The last two systems are explained on the  ' which water heater to use pro's and con's' page. This rule will apply to everybody with an electric hot water system from the 1^st of July 2009.

There is a considerable price tag these two systems they will probably set you back $ 4500 without the rebates. However rebates can vary to different situations and circumstances. If there is gas in your neighborhood it might be worth considering gas. A gas line installed by the gas board would cost you currently $165 and will be installed to the boundary line of your property (usually in line with your letterbox and water meter). We know it doesn't all end there because you still need the pipe dug in the ground to your house and connected to your appliance but it might outweigh the cost of the two electric options. GASWATCH use NEIGHBORHOOD MINI DIGGERS from Morphett Vale for their trenching jobs and the skill and knowledge of this sub contractor is second to none.

Just to go back to the introduction of these important new laws they have been widely promoted by the government to all South Australians but it still leaves our customers with a lot of confusion.

With the anode side of our business we find that for some people an anode change is a lot of money to pay, let alone to change the unit 'like for like' when it breaks down but it must be an astronomical amount of money for many of us if you have to spend twice as much if you have to change from the standard electric water heating to the heat pump or solar electric boosted.

We are in the process of finding out if the most needed in our society can get any concessions from anywhere to make sure that they can have hot water like everybody else.