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Water heaters that meet the full standardHow to determine if an electric boosted solar or electric heat pump water heater meets the full standardOther water heaters not listedDo I have to comply with the full standard?
Water heaters that meet the full standard
The following table outlines the types of water heaters that meet the full standard.
The requirements for solar and electric heat pump water heaters are based on the number of eligible renewable energy certificates (RECs).
| Type of water heater (up to 700 litres capacity) |
Requirements |
Solar - electric boosted
or
Electric heat pump |
Tank volume 220 litres or less - the water heater must meet one of the following:
- 17 RECs or more for zone 3; or
- 16 RECs or more for zone 4.
Tank volume more than 220 litres and less than 400 litres - the water heater must meet one of the following:
- 27 RECs or more for zone 3; or
- 26 RECs or more for zone 4.
Tank volume 400 litres or more and less than 700 litres - the water heater must meet one of the following:
- 38 RECs or more for zone 3; or
- 36 RECs or more for zone 4.
See How to determine if an electric boosted solar or electric heat pump water heater meets the full standard.
For multi-tank solar water heaters - ie where there is a solar pre-heat tank that feeds into an instantaneous water heater - use the following pre-heat tank volumes:
- 110 litres or less - 17 RECs or more in zone 3 or 16 RECs or more in zone 4
- between 110 litres and 200 litres - 27 RECs or more in zone 3 or 26 RECs or more for zone 4
- 200 litres to 350 litres - 38 RECs or more in zone 3 or 36 RECs or more in zone 4.
|
| Gas instantaneous or storage - bottled or mains |
Must have an energy rating of at least 5.0 stars.
or
Gravity-fed gas water heaters installed in the roof space of an established home must have an energy rating of at least 4.0 stars. (Note: this option is not available for water heaters installed as part of building work that requires development approval.) |
| Solar - gas boosted |
Eligible for 1 or more REC. |
| Solar - wood boosted |
Any water heater can be installed. |
| Wood combustion |
Any water heater can be installed. |
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How to determine if an electric boosted solar or electric heat pump water heater meets the full standard
Follow the three steps to determine if an electric boosted solar or electric heat pump water heater meets the full standard:
1. Find out how many RECs the water heater is eligible for in zone 3 and 4.
Find out the number of RECs for a particular brand and model by:
Note the number of RECs for zone 3 and for zone 4.
2. Check the minimum number of RECs needed
Use the table above to find out the minimum number of RECs a water heater needs in zone 3 and in zone 4 based on the tank volume.
3. Compare the RECs
Compare the water heater's RECs for zone 3 and for zone 4 with the minimum requirements. Only one of the two zone requirements needs to be met - ie either the zone 3 or the zone 4 requirement. The actual zone in which the water heater is installed doesn't matter.
Example
A water heater installation in metropolitan Adelaide needs to meet the full standard. Can a 300 litre electric heat pump water heater that is eligible for 26 RECs in zone 3 and 26 RECs in zone 4 be installed?
While the electric heat pump water heater does not meet the zone 3 requirement - ie 27 RECs or more - it does meet the zone 4 requirement (26 RECs or more) and can be installed.
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Other water heaters not listed
For water heaters not listed above, there is a method for checking if the water heater complies with the standards. For details see sections 6 and 7 of the SA Water Direction for water heater installation requirements.
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Do I have to comply with the full standard?
The easiest way to find out which water heater you can install is to complete the step by step guide to determine your water heater options.
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More information
On this site
Water heating
Rebates for installing an energy efficient water heater
Other websites
Register of solar water heaters and postcode zones - Office for the Renewable Energy Regulator (ORER)