African Energy
17
Hot water at lower cost
Hot water costs can account for 40–60% of users’ total electricity
bill. A new player has entered the highly competitive water-heating
sector, offering solutions for the commercial, industrial, and residential
markets: HydraTherm, with its growing range of high quality, high-tech,
energy-efficient water heating solutions.
“Our expertise lies in the design and
specification of centralised hot water plants for
any project. We offer solutions for clients from
large commercial enterprises right through
to domestic homeowners. We’ve used that
expertise to develop our own brand of water-
heating technology under the HydraTherm
brand, and we can confidently promise the
solutions the market is looking for,” explained
Michael Alton who is the co-founder.
SANS1307 and the like. These products, by their
design and nature (and inclusion in SANS10400-
XA), are energy efficient,” added Alton. The cost-
effectiveness of the pumps is measured against
competitive pricing and based on HydraTherm’s
analysis of the market. “We do not claim to be
the cheapest brand on the market, nor would we
want to be.”
Alton explains that the HydraTherm can save
users up to 70% on their hot water bills, but not
the entire energy bill. “I am not aware of any
conclusive independent study on the subject,
which would be useful. We can only direct you
to independent third parties such as Eskom that
claim, ‘a heat pump converts just one unit of
electrical energy into three units of heat energy’.”
“We set out to create high-quality, affordable, and
long-lasting hot water solutions for private homes,
the hospitality industry, and the agricultural and
healthcare sectors, and we have achieved that
aim. Quality and performance are at the forefront
of our product philosophy. For this reason, we use
only the very latest technology, with all parts and
components carefully selected and tested to ensure
ultimate efficiency, reliability, and durability.”
The integrated heat pumps have been tested and
found to be compliant with the compulsory SANS
standards 10254 and 10400XA. Alton maintains
The new HydraTherm range
of water heating solutions,
which are both cost-effective
and energy efficient.
For residential projects, HydraTherm can show
that choosing the HydraTherm Heat Pump instead
of a conventional geyser can save end users as
much as 70% of their hot water costs. “We offer
air-to-water heat pumps and soon will offer solar
water heaters once the testing phase completes
www.plumbingafrica.co.za
The HydraTherm range includes integrated heat
pumps and split hot water heat pumps, with gas
water heaters and solar collectors in the final
stages of development and also due for launch
this year. The HydraTherm integrated heat pump
is an energy-saving, cost-efficient solution for
private homes, while the split heat pump offers a
solution for industry at a highly competitive level of
investment, where payback periods are minimised
and returns are maximised. HydraTherm’s Split
Heat Pumps use EVI technology combined with
highly efficient air-to-water heat exchangers to
ensure improved efficiencies in a wide range of
ambient temperature conditions and nominal
coefficient performance figures of up to 4.5 to 1.
July 2017 Volume 23 I Number 5