Dylan is the Managing Member of Solar Heat Exchangers, a company based in Johannesburg that has specialised in the field of solar water heating since 1987.

As well as employing several passive design features such as optimal orientation of the house to make full use of the heat from the sun in winter, optimal window area  and good thermal insulation in the ceiling, the house makes use of a number energy efficiency measures. These include the use of energy efficient lighting in the form of compact fluorescent and LED light fittings and the use of low flow shower heads which save on the amount of hot water needed (and thus energy needed) during a typical shower.

The house also depends heavily on solar thermal heating for hot water and space heating. In the typical household, thermal applications such as these not only consume the most energy over time, but also happen to be best suited to the use of solar thermal energy provided by the heat of the sun. Space heating is achieved through an under floor heating system consisting of a coiled cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) piping laid underneath the concrete slab and  linked to the storage tank heated by flat plate solar collectors on the outside of the house. The high thermal mass of the slab retains the heat provided by the heated water in the coiled pipe.

Hot water is provided through a split, pumped solar hot water system whereby the storage tanks remain detached from the solar collectors. This is often done for aesthetic reasons so that the tanks can be kept out of sight as opposed to on the roof. Pumping (necessary when the storage tanks are located below the solar collectors) is achieved through the use of solar pumps which make use electricity generated from the sun. When there is no sun, heating is achieved through an electrical backup element and pumping is not necessary.

To complete the home’s energy picture and diversify the energy supply, the Tudor-Jones household uses LPG gas for cooking and additional space heating. This not only allows the household to function normally during power outages, but decreases the overall load requirement from the electricity grid.

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