How does rooftop solar hot water work? e.g. Apricus
With a roof mounted solar collector, the sun’s radiant heat hits the solar hot water collector and heats the hot water collector. This heat is transferred into the liquid (potable water or glycol) to then be stored (potable water) or transfer the heat into your potable water supply for later use. Often a backup electrical element supplements this heating process during winter or periods of low solar irradiation and high hot water demand.
The Apricus advantage
The Apricus evacuated tube technology is a highly efficient, reliable solution suitable for the diverse conditions of the Australian climate. Apricus holds the longest key component warranty (15 years) for any solar hot water manufacturer in Australia. Manufactured in line with ISO9001:2000 quality management requirements, and meeting SRCC, AS2712, and, Solarkeymark requirements, Apricus collectors are a quality choice for your home or commercial application.
Why install an Apricus Australia Evacuated Tube solar hot water system?
15-year warranty: Apricus Australia confidently carries the longest solar hot water warranty in the country on key components.
Higher efficiency: Through passive sun tracking, Apricus Australia’s Evacuated Tubes are up to 76% more efficient than flat plates on a clear day and up to 429% more efficient on an overcast day.
Lightweight: The cyclone-rated rooftop components are a fraction of the weight of a traditional flat plate installation, ensuring the structural integrity of your roof.
Frost protection: Using in-built frost protection, the Apricus Australia unit smartly manages frost-conditions without the need for synthetic glycol.
Local company: Apricus Australia, like Solar Australia, is proudly Australian owned and operated.
How the Apricus Solar Collector Works
Step 1. Solar Absorption: Solar radiation is absorbed by the evacuated tubes and converted into heat.
Step 2. Solar Heat Transfer: Heat pipes conduct the heat from within the solar tube up to the header
Step 3. Solar Energy Storage: Water is circulated through the header via intermittent pump cycling. Each time the water circulates through the header the temperatures is raised by a small amount. Throughout the day, the water in the storage tank is gradually heated. The temperature the water in the tank will reach will depend upon the amount of solar radiation, the size of the tank and the hot water usage throughout the day.
Apricus: “How It Works”. Apricus solar collectors use twin-glass evacuated tubes. They are comprised of two glass tubes, fused together at the top and bottom. The space between the two tubes is evacuated to form a vacuum. The structure is therefore very similar to a Thermos® flask you may use to keep water hot. The outer layer of the inner tubes is coated with a special selective layer which absorbs sunlight very efficiently. The vacuum layer insulates very well against heat loss providing excellent performance even in cold weather.
Source: www.apricus.com.au
Why choose Apricus Australia?
Apricus Australia is the #1 Evacuated Tube solar hot water supplier in Australia. In 2012, Apricus Australia was listed as one of the top 30 most innovative companies in Australia, in league with other respected brands as Kraft Foods, Coca-Cola Amatil, and Auspost. Apricus, as a market leader in solar hot water, has also won numerous other awards.
Apricus Customer Testimonials:
“We have a family of 5, and really high users of hot water. We weren’t sure how much power our new Apricus was using, but with a little help from one of the Apricus staff, we worked out that even with boosting, it uses less that 1kW a day, and keeps us with hot water all winter long.”
“I’ve recently compared my power bills from before I installed my Apricus, and after, and I?ve gone from spending over $100 per quarter on hot water alone, to less than $20! While all my friends power bills are going up, my has been dramatically reduced.”
“Our hot water system finally lost its last legs and we were left with no hot water at all. We?d been looking at the Apricus system so it gave us the initiative to go ahead with it. Apricus were so helpful and worked with their agent and we had the system installed and working by the next afternoon! Great, fast service!”
“We purchased the system a few months ago and haven’t had to run the booster yet. Even after almost 5 full days of cold, overcast weather we still have plenty of hot water. The system has by far exceeded our expectations.”
“Living in central NSW we were a bit apprehensive about moving to solar hot water. We get incredibly low night time temps during winter well below -5 degrees. Our Apricus agent assured us the systems can function in sub zero temperatures well up into the -40s! We’re now more than halfway through winter and have had hot water every single morning!”
*Source: http://www.apricus.com.au/about-us/testimonials
Apricus Downloads:
Apricus Evacuated Tubes vs. Flat Plates