To enquire about taking part in this project, contact one of these approved manufacturers:

Solardome SA - contact Tasius Lindenberg on 021 886 6321, or email This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
Solahart Southern Africa - contact Jim Hickey on 011 465 7377, or email This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
Atlantic Solar - contact Helmut Hertzog on 021 853 6409, or email This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
Solar Heat Exchangers - contact Dylan Tudor Jones on 011 462 0024 or 083 775 9452, or email This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
SunTank - contact Neriel Hurwitz on 0860 111 786 / (012) 343 2629, or email This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it - contact Graham Mundy on (031) 563 9585, or email This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

CEF (Pty) Ltd and its partners are introducing high-quality solar water heating for domestic use in middle- to upper-income homes as part of a six-month pilot project, taking advantage of the high number of days with sunshine in South Africa.

Working with the Department of Minerals and Energy, the Department of Science and Technology, the United Nations Development Programme, the Global Environment Facility and the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), CEF aims with this project to create awareness and remove market barriers to solar technology.

According to Nadia Moosa, project manager at the Energy Development Corporation, a division of CEF, the group has also set national standards for solar heating products and their installation, while a testing laboratory has also been established.

This has been done to protect consumers from unscrupulous operators and poor-quality solar heating systems.

The pilot project, launched on 5 March, is targeting 500 households in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape, with the households being given incentives to be among the first to make use of the SABS-approved solar water heating systems.

Solar energy can be used for electricity generation, heating water and to heat or cool buildings. Using such renewable energy can lead to savings on electricity costs, reduced greenhouse emissions and increased employment in the sector.

Despite South Africa benefiting from among the highest levels of solar radiation in the world, the country has yet to make full use of it by embracing solar technologies.

The pilot will feature 200-litre and 300-litre solar heating systems, which will be supplied and installed by approved service providers in about 167 homes in each province. Residents will have to apply for the units and the incentives through any of the four selected suppliers.

The approved manufacturers are Solardome SA, Solahart Southern Africa, Atlantic Solar and Solar Heat Exchangers.

Moosa said the newly installed systems would be monitored and measured for effectiveness and the earlier a household signs on the better the incentive will be.

"At this stage, the cost of a geyser ranges between R10 000 and R20 000 and the incentive is R5 000 for the first month or the first 200 systems, R4 000 for the second month or the next 200 systems and R3 000 for the next month or the last 100 systems," she said.

"The intention is to inspire confidence in an energy source that is fast becoming first choice in a world striving to support clean fuels."