The Pros And Cons Of Gas Boosted Solar Hot Water Systems

As solar hot water has been an attractive alternative to traditional gas and electric water heaters for decades, you’d think it couldn’t get any better. Well, it can!

By boosting your solar hot water system with a continuous flow gas hot water system (gas booster), hot water will always be readily available, come rain, shine, or night time, as it acts as a supplemental water heater booster to ensure you get the most out of your solar hot water system.

However, before looking into replacing your existing gas or electric water heater, or upgrading your current solar hot water system, do yourself a favour and get to know the benefits of gas boosters. You won’t regret it!

To help you make your decision, we’ve compiled the most notable pros and cons of gas boosted solar hot water systems.

The Pros of Gas Boosted Solar Hot Water System

Significant savings of solar

As solar hot water systems use the sun’s natural rays as a source of free energy, installing one could significantly slash your monthly energy bills. In fact, modern solar hot water systems can pay for themselves within six to ten years! Even less in some cases.

Better together, whatever the weather

Whether you’ve used up your sun-heated water or there was no sun to begin with, with a gas booster you’ll always have hot water on tap. Once your gas booster detects a drop in water temperature, it’ll automatically ignite to provide instantaneous and continuous flow heating.

Therefore, no more remembering to turn on the electric booster and waiting hours for a “cold” solar water heater to heat up enough water for a hot shower, or number of hot showers. A continuous flow gas booster can be turned on at the “flick of a switch” at any time and hot water is immediately available.

Environmentally friendly

Going solar helps you protect our planet, as it can offer 70-80% of your hot water needs from free renewable, clean energy. On the other hand, conventional hot water systems have to generate all their heat by combusting fossil fuels (gas or electric). This produces harmful greenhouse emissions, pollutes the air, and contributes to climate change!

The best part?

Gas boosters are easily retrofitted to existing solar storage hot water tanks to increase their effectiveness and convenience. And in the long run, your gas boosted solar hot water system will also pay for itself.

The Cons of Gas Boosted Solar Hot Water System

Initial Upfront Installation Costs

The costs involved in adding a gas booster or installing a complete gas boosted solar hot water system can make most homeowners think twice about outlaying the cost of getting the system installed.

Efficiency Rating

Nowadays the STC energy rating of most gas boosted solar water heaters is the same as for electric boosted solars, and even less for some brands. Therefore, they are tested and deemed by the Clean Energy Regulator (CER) to be no cheaper to run than an electric boosted solar water heater. Why? Because solar gas boosters have to be set to heat the water coming from a solar HW tank to 70C and use considerably more gas, than when used as a dedicated and separate stand-alone continuous flow gas HWS, which can be set as low as 42C (the temperature at which most adults shower).

Fossil Fuel Combustion

Unfortunately, a gas booster involves fossil fuel combustion and may not be the best choice for die-hard environmentalists. But, all is not lost! Natural gas is one of the cleanest fossil fuels available, producing 50-60% less greenhouse gas emissions than the rest.

Decision Time

Now that you’ve seen the evidence, you can make an informed decision for yourself!

Whether you choose an electric, gas, heat pump, electrically boosted solar, or gas boosted solar hot water system, our team at Kalamunda Plumbing has the expertise you need. We offer all manner of hot water system services, while specialising in the sale, service, and installation of solar hot water systems for over 30 years!

Visit our website for more information or call us on (08) 9291 6000 – we’re happy to help.

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Head Office & Warehouse Address: 13 Godfrey Street, Walliston 6076

Office Hours: 7.30am – 4.30pm Monday – Friday

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Shop 5B Kalamunda Glades, 121-123 Canning Road,
Kalamunda 6076

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Excellent4.9★★★★★ Based on 477 reviews from review us onLes Lima ★★★★★ The service was efficient and professional. Trent and his partner made sure everything was working well before they left. They were prompt and polite and I feel they did an excellent job thank youChristine McCormack ★★★★★ From booking service to finished job is always easy with Kalamunda plumbing. Nice friendly and efficient.Response from the ownerThank you, Christine. At Kalamunda Plumbing, we are committed to ensuring a seamless experience from start to finish. Our dedicated and efficient service truly sets us apart. Joseph Brucciani ★★★★★ We had a leaking pipe in our roof. Kalamunda Plumbing responded quickly and repaired the pipe asap as well as identifying another potential issue and repairing that also. We are very happy with the work, service and friendly advice. Highly recommended.... 👍Response from the ownerThank you for the high recommendation Joseph. It's encouraging to hear that we promptly addressed your leak and could identify an additional issue. Having dependable professionals who provide high-quality work and offer insightful guidance is truly reassuring. Thank you for sharing your positive experience. Murray Hall ★★★★★ Great communication about the issue and even let me know what to do for the future regarding stopping tree roots from growing in the pipes, I am very happy they close to Gooseberry Hill.Response from the ownerWe are pleased to learn that you had a positive experience. Our technicians strive to ensure clear communication and offer valuable guidance to prevent future issues. Additionally, our convenient location adds to the level of service we provide. Julie Pinto ★★★★★ Plumber was professional and competent. Easy to schedule and loved the text alerting me the plumber was on his way.Response from the ownerThank you, Julie, for your positive feedback. We continuously aim to provide this level of service. Bill Head ★★★★☆ Polite and helpful staff for repair to airconditioner.Response from the ownerThank you, Bill. Outstanding customer service is crucial in these situations, and we are pleased to have been able to assist you in achieving a comfortable temperature. Karen Tredrea ★★★★☆ Very friendly and efficient as usual.Response from the ownerThank you, Karen, for your positive feedback. Donna Sundblom ★★★★★ The service was great and the guys were friendly and informative, thanks so much for excellent serviceResponse from the ownerOur team is very friendly and knowledgeable, so we are not surprised to hear that you feel the same. Thank you, Donna, for sharing your positive experience. gary sanford ★★★★★ Great very goodResponse from the ownerThank you, Gary, for your encouraging feedback. Ken Patterson ★★★★★ Accomodating, punctual. very friendly service. Highly recommended!Response from the ownerYour recommendation Speaks volumes. Thank you, Ken. jo marshall ★★★★★ Quick and helpfulResponse from the ownerThank you for the great review Kylee and Ray Mollard ★★★★★ Great guys explained everything to me before doing the job. Great price highly recommend. Thanks so much guysDennis Ward-Fay ★★★★★ Excellent serviceResponse from the ownerWe've had a tradition of service excellence since 1954, so it's great to hear that we're continuing that! Thanks Dennis. Sharon Herbert ★★★★★ Great service - fitted me in on a Saturday morning, quick, fixed the problem AND replaced the bricks! Will use these guys again🙂Lisa Reed ★★★★★ Needed same day plumber toilet flush broke , receptionist was lovely, very understanding and accommodating, got a time slot and phone call notice so didn't need to sit at home and could go to work, turned up promptly, fixed the problem, the plumber was friendly, clean and courteous, i did think a little pricey but didn't have time to shop around , hapoy with the service and jobAntoinette Wilson ★★★★★ We are very satisfiedThe workers are always professional and friendly, very helpful and deliver high quality workmanshipResponse from the ownerWe greatly appreciate your feedback! Our team consistently demonstrates excellence in their work while maintaining a positive attitude. Their professionalism and willingness to assist truly contribute to a successful experience. Thank you, Antoinette, for this wonderful review Giuseppe Luci ★★★★★ Thanks to Kalamunda Plumbing for a great job with my recent HWS replacement job.Friendly and professional service from everyone involved.I would highly recommend Kalamunda Plumbing to anyone needing any plumbing work.Response from the ownerThank you, Giuseppe. We are delighted to learn about your positive experience with Kalamunda Plumbing. Your recommendation truly speaks volumes! Lorraine Markwell ★★★★★ I will always go to Kalamunda Plumbing as I feel safe knowing I'm getting the right advice and experiencing good old fashion service! Clayton was fantastic and did the job so quickly and left the area all clean, I was impressed by Clayton's knowledge and level of caring!I will continue to recommend Kalamunda Plumbing.Best wishes to the team for a happy, healthy and safe 2025!Response from the ownerIt's Fantastic to hear such positive feedback about Kalamunda Plumbing! It sounds like you had a Stella experience with Clayton, We know it’s always reassuring to be in capable hands. Our Teams commitment to quality service and attention to detail really makes a difference. Thank you for sharing your thoughts, and I’m sure the team will appreciate your well wishes for the upcoming year. Here’s to a happy and successful 2025 for everyone! Brigitte Quinn ★★★★★ From the first call to the lovely Sophia, professional, efficient and approachable. David was prompt , professional and explained all aspects of what he was doing. Highly recommend this company.Response from the ownerThank you, Brigitte, for taking the time to share your thoughtful review. Our team strives to be approachable and professional at all times, ensuring that we communicate all relevant information to maintain transparency in every situation. Jack Watson ★★★★★ As usual, Kalamunda Plumbing are on time, professional & fix the problem. I have no hesitation recommending these guys. Great workResponse from the ownerWe sincerely appreciate this outstanding recommendation. Thank you, Jack. Anne Derry ★★★★★ fast call out, very nice to deal with,fair pricing and lovely man who came, coming back within 1 hour as there was a problem fixed it immediately Well done Kalamunda PlumbingResponse from the ownerThank you, Anne. It sounds like you had a remarkable experience. Our prompt response and friendly service truly make a significant impact. I am glad to hear that we were able to address the issue promptly. Gary Palmer ★★★★★ We used this service to deal with some taps that after a long time had become difficult to turn off. This was a non urgent job but we obtained a booking for the next day. We received a call that he was on his way and he completed the job to our satisfaction. Ssniors discount was a plus.Response from the ownerThank you for your review, Gary! We always aim to get out to each and every job as soon as possible, so we're glad to have met your expectations! Derek Smith ★★★★★ Cameron turned up on time & had the problem found & sorted out quickly , great friendly & knowledgeable service 🙂Response from the ownerThankyou Derek for the great review. We strive for great service. carole trivett ★★★★★ Very happy with everything and the way things were explained and cleaned up. Thank you.Response from the ownerThanks Carole! We always strive for the boys to be as neat and tidy as possible, so it's reassuring to hear they they are! Marie Pooley ★★★★★ Excellent service, communication and staff interaction.Response from the ownerThank you, Marie, for your excellent review. js_loader

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Kalamunda Plumbing employs a team of professional local plumbers, servicing Perth's Hills and Eastern Suburbs with a proud tradition of delivering Service Excellence since 1954. Get in touch with us today to discuss your water heater, plumbing or drainage needs and speak to one of our friendly team members!

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