NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
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QUESTION 810
QUESTION FOR WRITTEN REPLY
810. Mr P F Smith (IFP) to ask the Minister of Energy
a) Why is Eskomâs residential rebate programme (i) restricted to
conventional solar heating systems, (ii) not extended to include
air and ground system heat pumps and (b) when will it include air
and ground system heat pumps?
REPLY
(a)(i) Eskomâs Demand-Side Management Programme aims to
accelerate the adoption of energy efficient appliances and
equipment by customers. It is important that such products be
readily available in the market and be quality tested by the
SABS. In 2007 (when we launched the programme), solar water
heaters met these criteria while heat pumps did not.
(ii) In particular during that time, the heat pump supplier industry
was virtually non-existent in South Africa and no minimum
quality standards for the product were in place. A further
concern was whether heat pump technology is suited to all
geographical areas in the country due to the effect which
ambient conditions and altitude have on the performance of heat
pump equipment.
(b) Eskom performs investigations on an ongoing basis into different
energy efficient hot water technologies, including heat pumps.
The aim is to identify minimum quality standards, market
potential for products, maintenance requirements, and other
barriers to entry to creating a sustainable market for these
alternate technologies. A decision on possible inclusion of heat
pumps in Eskomâs Demand-Side Management Programme will be taken
once the qualifying criteria have been satisfied.
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