Solar hot water - still get large electricity bills, huh?

[Dave70]

It's a Rinnai 340(?) litre stainless HWS that pumps something (glycol?) up to 2x solar panels on the roof.
The system itself looks just like a regular HWS-tank-thing, but there's shrouded pipes that go over the roof.
The panels are on the western side of the house, and the HWS on the east. Obviously this isn't ideal - but the house faces north, with a ridge-line north-south, so that was the only simple option.

Maybe a large chunk of the cost was installation.

I guess I can see that for a brand new instillation using high end gear. But man, I'd be all over the supplier to get the bugs out. Our bills are around the $750-ish per quarter mark. Two adults plus two kids who only know how to turn electric appliances 'on'. Plus one main, two brewing and one fermentation fridge. Not to mention a pool pump that runs eight hours per day x 365 days per year. Thats the next power hog that needs to be slayed..
We use to run out of hot water in winter also (just moved in at the time) - and strangely, hot air. I then discovered the HWS is plumbed to a heat exchanger on the R/C air-con unit. There was a tiny wire running from a control board to a sensor on the pump that was corroded through and controlled the thermostat (I assume) that told the HWS to switch on. Since I fixed that, plain sailing.

Looks roughly the same as this.

 

[Stouter]

Not to mention a pool pump that runs eight hours per day x 365 days per year. Thats the next power hog that needs to be slayed.

I switched to a 3 speed pump last year after the original **** itself for the second time. I can highly recommend it. Got it on for 4 hours a day in the middle of the day when the solar panels are peaking. The lowest speed works well for normal filtering and when I vacuum I boost to medium or high. Another year and a bit and it's paid for itself.