Silveray installed a 6 000-litre solar water heating system from local solar water heater manufacturer Solar Beam, in line with its drive to become more environmentally friendly, reduce costs and secure alternative sources of energy.
“Silveray is just one example of South African companies taking ownership of their energy supply in the face of rising energy costs and electricity supply issues. We’ve installed solar heating solutions at many local companies in recent months, including a 30 000-litre solar water heating system for a major motor manufacturer,” said Solar Beam founder and MD
Graham Mundy.Silveray recently won the eThekwini municipality competition for corporations that showed the greatest savings in power usage over a four-month period, and encouraged electricity savings in the KwaZulu-Natal province.
“Many companies are starting out their energy efficiency and security strategies by introducing solar water heating systems because they are a quick and relatively simple way to cut energy costs,” said Mundy.
Mundy stated that it would take about three-and-half, to four-and-a-half years for the savings of a solar heating solution to pay for itself in a corporate environment.
Mundy stressed that businesses and homes looking to install solar water heating systems should work with experienced service providers. Before the 2008 power blackouts, there were only nine solar water heating companies in South Africa, but that number has since shot up to around 300.
“Working with an inexperienced contractor in this field can be very costly. When selecting a provider, you should be looking for a minimum of five years industry experience, SABS full mark approval on products (not merely the SABS test report) and strong references from clients,” said Mundy.
