Opinion
Can hot water help us get out of hot water?
Today’s cutting edge hot water technology is heat pump water heaters which are 3-5 times more efficient than electric resistance hot water systems (HWS). While heat pump HWS are more expensive to purchase, their high efficiency makes them cheaper in the long run. Resistance systems (cylinders) are cheaper to buy and easier to install and are also a clean tech solution if, like heat pumps, they are renewably powered. Solar hot water (solar thermal) which comes in many forms, including evacuated tubes, provide another cheap and easy to install third option.
There is increasing international focus on the role of hot water in the energy transition. The Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) calculated in 2017 that grid-interactive electric water heat in the United States could create USD$3.6billion/year in benefits.
'Modesty rules' - door opens to split household energy bills but not retail competition for households or small business
The vital change that could unlock the potential of consumer energy resources is missing from the Australian Energy Markets Commission’s suggested rule change.
