Has anyone had experience with the Conenergy solar hotwater system?
Conenergy Solar Hot Water
(6 posts) (4 voices)-
morias
MemberI think they are called Conergy. From my google research they will be installing the Queensland Government's $500 hot water systems which means a lot of people should soon be able to start reporting about them. All I could find about them was a single post from a person with their system on another forums site.
Last week I received a letter from the Queensland Government saying I was now eligible to book my hot water system install (presumably with Conergy). This involved giving the Government my direct debit information (to make sure I didn't run off with the Commonwealth Government's $1600 rebate) and going onto yet another list. However, in the meantime I had organised to get a Hills 22 tube 250 litre system which was installed on Thursday. Although it is early days, I am very happy with the Hills system.
I ended up going for the Hills system as it was provided by an independent installer who had been in business for many years. I gave up waiting for the Queensland Government system as I had no real fixed time when it would be installed and I had some niggling doubts about the quality of a system that only costs $500 installed (after RECs and rebates).
I also have some unfounded suspicions that the Commonwealth Government will tighten the eligibility rules for the $1600 rebate sometime between now and the next budget.
Posted Monday 23 Nov 2009 @ 5:02:25 am from IP # -
questionman
MemberMorias, can you elaborate further how your suspicions came about and how do you think the eligibility rules for the $1600 rebate will be tightened? When will be the next budget?
Posted Saturday 28 Nov 2009 @ 8:12:44 pm from IP # -
morias
MemberAs I said I have no particular grounds to support my suspicion.
Commentary in the press of late has been that the emergency stimulus spending by the government needs to be wound back. In my view, one way of doing this is to lower the rebate, or to reintroduce a means test on the rebate (eg the previous means test which limited the rebate to families with a combined income below $100,000).
The rebate for heat pumps was dropped to $1,000, the rebate for insulation was dropped to $1,200. To date there has been no change to the solar hot water rebate. Each of these reductions in rebates, if my memory serves me correctly, have been a weekend announcement by the Minister for the Environment saying that due to the success of the scheme effective today there has been a reduction in the rebate.
I have had my system installed and submitted my application for the rebate. Hence I believe I will be okay. I did see there was a risk the rebate could be wound back in a way that I would not qualify and I therefore wanted to mitigate that risk. I also had a need to upgrade our hot water system as our old hot water system was too small.
The next budget will be in March 2010. I see it as not inconceivable that Wayne Swan in his budget speech says it is a tough budget, there is a need to reduce the deficit and that those with the ability to pay should make a greater contribution than those in need etc ... hence the government is reintroducing a means test on the ... rebate.
Please assess your own situation independently and don't rely on anything I have said as it is only my own view alone based on pure speculation.
Posted Tuesday 1 Dec 2009 @ 1:03:45 am from IP # -
morias
MemberI was right ( http://www.ata.org.au/forums/topic/changes-to-govt-environmental-programs ).
Although it ended up being more due to the failures in the insulation scheme.
I still think budget savings are part of it, as otherwise they could have kept the rebates as the same amount.
Posted Friday 19 Feb 2010 @ 9:25:27 am from IP # -
I think all of you can visit http://www.solar-evacuated-tube.com to see more interesting solar evacuated tube collectors.
Posted Tuesday 23 Feb 2010 @ 1:58:15 pm from IP #
