FAQs

How can I be sure of the quality and performance of your products?

The entire range of Endless Solar water heaters meet the rigorous tests set by Standards Australia and the relevant Australian industry certifying bodies. They are made from high quality components backed by generous warranties. Our systems meet the requirements of State and Federal Government rebate programs and they qualify for some of the highest energy performance ratings in the market.

What is the correct roof direction for my solar collector?

The best direction for your solar collector is North. However, due to their special optical properties, Evacuated Tubes are able to be placed on an East or West facing roof with only a very small drop in efficiency. The can also be mounted on a South facing roof using a frame.

This makes Evacuated Tubes perfect if you need your North facing roof for installing solar electricity.

What is the correct roof pitch for my solar collector?

A roof pitch of around 35 degrees is great for year round solar collection. However, a roof pitch between 20+ degrees is suitable. Endless Solar can supply a frame to achieve the optimal pitch for your collector.

What about installation information?

Endless Solar will help you you with any information that you need. See below for dimensions of our collectors and tanks. It is our goal to make it easy for you.

How do I get the most from my system?

The Endless Solar System is designed so that you don't need to make any changes to your life. For example, if there is not enough solar energy to provide hot water, the the water is automatically boosted.

What are RECs?

Renewable energy certificates (RECs) are created by renewable energy generators, and are part of the Australian Government’s Mandatory Renewable Energy Target. The Mandatory Renewable Energy Target aims to increase the production of renewable energy in Australia.

Under the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target electricity retailers and major electricity users are required to purchase a specified percentage of their electricity from renewable energy generators, and surrender RECs to prove that they have done so (or pay financial penalty). The current target is for 20% of electricity to come from renewable sources by 2020.

The mandatory target is the main reason there has been any growth in renewable energy in Australia over the last ten years, as REC sales bridge the gap between electricity from coal and electricity from renewable energy.

Customers of the Solar Region Project are eligible for 32 RECs for installing a Endless Solar EB-315-E-30. In theory, this is relates to the energy offset over a 10 year period by a system. RECs however, are not indicative of the actual efficiency of a solar hot water system.

Customer Options with RECs

Customers have three options to choose from in regards to what they do with their RECs:

• Sell them; or
• Voluntarily surrender them; or
• Register and retain them.
  
  

Below are details of the financial and environmental consequences of each of these options, to help inform customers in their decision of what to do with their RECs.

Surrendering your RECs produces the greatest environmentally responsible outcome.

Selling RECs
Customers can choose to sell their RECs. At the time of calculation the current market value of the 32 RECs allocated for an EB-315-E-30 was about $1220 - however this price may vary.

The price of RECs varies because sellers and purchasers directly negotiate price and payment arrangements. The average REC price during November 2008 ranged between $42 and $45, approximately $30 in November 2009 - though they have been as high as $56 in the past.

The environmental consequences of selling RECs depend on who purchases them and how they are used by the purchaser. If you choose to sell the RECs, the electricity from the systems on your house either becomes part of the mandatory renewable energy target, or will be counted as ‘extra’ renewable energy by both you and a Green Power customer.

RECs being part of the Mandatory Target:
If your RECs are purchased by an electricity retailer (other than for their GreenPower program) then your RECs will contribute to meeting the electricity retailer’s mandatory target, and the electricity from your system will count towards the national target. If your RECs are not available for purchase, then at some point between now and the end of the scheme, additional renewable energy will be developed to meet the target.

RECs sold as GreenPower:
Alternatively, your RECs may be bought for a GreenPower scheme, in which case they will be surrendered (taken out of circulation) on behalf of the GreenPower customer. This means it is additional to the mandatory target, so it won’t count towards the 20% and extra renewable energy will still have to be built to meet that target. However, both you and the GreenPower customer will have done the ‘green’ thing with the same renewable electricity, and so will both think that you have contributed to emissions reduction and renewable energy additional to the mandatory target – creating the impression of double the actual environmental benefit. Ausenergy can arrange the sale of RECs for customers choosing this option.

Voluntarily Surrender RECs
Customers can choose to voluntarily surrender RECs. This option has the greatest environmental outcomes, which include:

• Encourages additional generation of electricity from renewable sources;
• Reduces greenhouse gas emissions; and,
• Demonstrate their use of additional renewable solar electricity accredited under the mandatory renewable energy target.

Customers who voluntarily surrender their RECs do not receive any money for them. RECs accepted for voluntary surrender are permanently removed from the REC market and cannot be transferred or sold to another owner. However, the RECs will still be seen on the REC Registry but will be marked 'Invalid due to voluntary surrender'.

To voluntarily surrender their RECs a customer needs to open an account with the REC registry and make an online voluntary surrender offer.

Register and Retain RECs
Customers can also choose to register and retain their RECs. This is essentially a ‘wait and see’ option as while not receiving any immediate payment for doing this you continue to have the option to sell the RECs later, and similarly the option to voluntarily surrender their RECs later as well.

To register and retain your RECs you need to pay an 8 cent registration fee to cover the cost of the REC registry service via the REC-registry

Once the payment has been received and the invoice settled your RECs will be registered. Once registered RECs can be traded or surrender to the Office of the Renewable Energy Regulator to discharge a liability under the Act.

Are the rebates guaranteed?

If you complete your application accurately and truthfully (e.g combined taxable income for installation address), and you meet the necessary eligibility criteria, it will be successfully processed.

Please be aware that the rebates have been known to change, or to be withdrawn without notice.

Gas vs Electric Boost?

The Solar New England Program promotes an electric boosted system and assumes that in most cases you will be replacing an existing electric tank.

Gas boosted systems are more efficient, however the costs associated with the supply and installation are higher than simply switching to electric boosted solar.

Endless Solar will help you find the most best option for you - this is largely based on your individual circumstances.

Can I Upgrade or Downgrade my system?

Yes, Endless Solar provides a full range of systems to suit any home. We will make sure that you are supplied with the right system - with savings in line with the great prices available through the Solar New England Program.

Where is my system made?

Endless Solar has designed a system that uses a variety of the best components available. The system is assembled in Australia, to Australian Quality Standards. The major components are design in Australia and are manufactured in Australia, China, Japan, and France.

What are the Warranties?

Warranties are all supported in Australia. Conditions Apply.

Warranty Conditions

Warranty applies to materials provided by Endless Solar. A licensed gasfitter/plumber and/or electrician must install the system in accordance with all installation instructions and all relevant statutory and local requirements of the State in which the system is installed.

This warranty only applies to the solar system/gas water heater/electric water heater product and does not apply to any additional electrical and/or plumbing parts supplied by the installer or the installation.

This warranty does not cover the effects of the connection of the appliance to bore waters and highly mineralised waters.

Water stored in the cylinder must not exceed the following levels:

How does gas boosting work? Does it turn on when I'm not using hot water?

No. Our natural and LP Gas systems turn on and boost only when it detects that the water temperature stored has fallen below 60º which may occur when you have used all your solar heated water in your storage tank or during extended periods of limited sunshine.

Are Evacuated Tubes affected by frost?

No. Traditional technologies are vulnerable to freezing in cold weather. Now you don’t need to compromise the system’s performance (for example by using chemicals like glycol) in order to prevent it freezing. Many traditional technologies require regular and costly maintenance programs for freeze protections.

Evacuated tube technology, as used by the Endless Solar system, works extremely efficiently in cold climates. In Antarctica the British Research Station, Halley VI, has chosen to install evacuated tube technology to help preserve power and conserve energy.

Evacuated tube solar collectors are the technology of choice in countries that experience extremes in temperature. For example, they are widely used in Germany, China and Canada.

Is solar water heating a viable alternative to gas or electricity?

Because weather conditions vary, solar hot water should not be viewed as a total replacement for gas or electricity, but rather a major partner. Solar cannot totally replace the need for gas or electric heating in most cases - as there are sometimes days when there is little sunlight.

But when averaged over a year, a correctly sized solar system can provide up to 80% or more of a household's hot water needs. The hot water system can easily be automated so that hot water is guaranteed, regardless of sunlight levels. If you want a complete alternative, in some cases an oversized system can provide 100% of your hot water needs.

What electrical connections are required?

There are 2 main electrical connections to the system:

1. Electric boosted systems require connection to an Off-peak 1 tariff, or a timer that prevents the booster from operating during daylight hours. Gas boosted systems will not need this connection as their power is supplied by the solar controller.
2. The solar controller needs a standard 240V general power outlet (GPO) to operate (outdoor power point needs to be waterproof ).

I'm on tank water, can I still install the system?

Yes, however it important that there is adequate water pressure to run the system, and the water quality is suitable.

It may be necessary to install a household pressure pump to achieve the correct operating pressure, and a water filter to remove impurities in the water.