Performance of your Solar Genius

Solar panels operate by converting the sun’s radiation to heat energy. You should not expect to receive free solar heated water on rainy, dull or overcast days. As a general rule, on clear sunny days with high levels of radiation your SolarGenius will operate at approximately twice the maximum daily outside air temperature. For example, on a clear day with air temperature of 25 C your water will be heated to approximately 50 C.

High solar radiation days

On high solar radiation days your electric booster or other supplementary heating system should be switched OFF particularly during summer. Due to its construction and design, the SolarGenius will not boil during prolonged periods of hot weather.

Medium solar radiation days

On medium solar radiation days, when it is cloudy or overcast, the electric booster or other supplementary heating system may need to be switched on. The electric booster should be left on for approximately 3 hours without hot water usage to generate maximum stored hot water capacity and the most efficient operation.

Low solar radiation days

On low solar radiation days, it is recommended that the electric booster, which is thermostatically controlled and factory set at 60 C, should be left on. Alternatively, if your SolarGenius is connected to another supplementary heating source, for example a wood burning stove, this will need to be used.

NOTE: When you leave your electric booster switched on, it heats the water in the solar unit whenever it falls below 60 C. Should you not wish to leave the booster ON, then prior to requiring hot water, the electric booster should be left on for approximately 3 hours without hot water usage to generate the maximum stored volume of hot water.

To deliver the maximum benefit from solar energy it may be necessary for you to modify your hot water usage times.

• Only draw off large amounts of hot water at night if there is no further requirement for hot water first thing in the morning.
• If heavy hot water demand is made during the evening hours, the booster will need to be used if you require hot water first thing the following morning.
• Schedule heavy usage of hot water e.g. clothes washing as close as possible to the middle of the day. Of course, cold-water laundry can be done at anytime throughout the day.

BOOSTER OPERATION: The electric booster unit provides supplementary heat to the water held in the storage tank of the SolarGenius during periods of low radiation and/or heavy hot water demand.

The temperature control thermostat in the SolarGenius is factory set to 60 C. The thermostat ensures that the electrical booster only operates when the temperature of the water in the tank drops below 60 C. As soon as the temperature rises above 60 C the booster element automatically switches off (switching on again should the water temperature fall below 60 C).

If you use all your hot water in the evening then it will not be possible to have hot water in the morning, as the sun has not been able to heat the water. This is when you will need to use the booster and the most effective way is to leave your booster on in conjunction with a time clock. If the water is hot enough the thermostat will take over and turn off the booster. That means that even if the time clock tries to turn the booster on it will not work if you already have sufficient hot water. If there is not sufficient hot water the time clock will turn on the booster until the water is hot enough and then the thermostat will turn it off again. The booster is not working for the period that the time clock is set for, but only for long enough to give you sufficient hot water – this may be only 10 minutes!

We recommend that you have a time clock installed to automatically control the use of your electric booster. If you would like to have a time clock installed with your SolarGenius, then contact your SolarGenius consultant.

POWER CONSUMPTION: The electrical booster element requires a 10amp single-phase 240VAC electrical supply and is rated at 1.2kW or 2.4kW, or a 15amp single-phase 240Vac supply for the 3.6kW variant.

To calculate the running cost of the SolarGenius booster simply multiply the energy used – 1.2kW, 2.4kW or 3.6kW by the standard electricity charge.

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This is 30.60 cents per hour for the time the booster is actually engaged in heating the water i.e. when the water temperature falls below the thermostat set point of 60 C, not 30.60 cents per hour for all the time you have the booster switched on.

The bottom line is: That the more hot water used on days when boosting is required, the longer the electrical element will be operating and using electricity at a rate of 2.4kW.

The SolarGenius electrical booster is very economical to run and is designed to make maximum use of the available solar radiation. On days when it is cloudy or overcast your solar unit will still obtain some energy from the sun. While this energy is not enough to sufficiently heat the water to your desired hot water temperature, it does act as a pre-heater and assists your electric booster to heat the water. This means that the booster is operating for the shortest time possible.

TREES: In a short period of time neighbouring trees can grow to a height that may place your SolarGenius in shadow for part of the day. Annually prune and cut any trees or shrubs that shade the system. If not trimmed back this will result in reduced performance, and in winter months especially will necessitate increased booster usage.

BUILDING & STRUCTURES: Your SolarGenius consultant will have informed the plumber of the most suitable location on your roof for the SolarGenius. If you are experiencing shading from newly erected buildings or other structures that exceeds 10% of the solar collection area, relocation of the SolarGenius may be required. Contact your SolarGenius consultant if you believe that this is the case.