MORE than 7000 subsidised houses are to be fitted with solar energy geysers in the Bitou area around Plettenberg Bay as part of the Energy Department’s roll-out of one million units across South Africa.
The project will be launched on August 20 to coincide with Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe’s Garden Route visit to review progress made in the War on Poverty programme.
“Solar heating means hot water is not just for people who can afford it,” says Ian Ramonyane, director of Malrams Investment Holdings, the distribution partner of solar geyser importer Afrilanga.
The geysers would be guaranteed for five years and have a life expectancy of 20 to 25 years – considerably longer than an electric geyser, Ramonyane told the Bitou executive committee during a presentation last week.
The project created employment opportunities in that the company trained locals to install and maintain the geysers, which require servicing every three years. The ready supply of solar-heated water represented a big lifestyle improvement for the needy.
Ramonyane said solar heating was rapidly becoming a viable alternative to electric geysers for middle and upper class houses as well.
“Solar geysers are becoming more affordable and cut the average home’s electricity consumption by half.”
By Neil Oelofse.
Article Source: http://www.weekendpost.co.za
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