A review of solar and air-source renewable water heating systems, under the energy management scheme

Although traditional electric storage tank water heaters (ESTWHs) are the most frequently used systems in the world, they are known to be among the highest energy consumers, due to their inefficiency in converting electrical energy to thermal energy. These systems have grown increasingly hostile to consumers, as power prices have risen. Therefore, the need to reduce energy consumption of hot water production, while maintaining the users’ thermal comfort level, has led to the development of more energy-efficient technologies. In this paper, a review of renewable energy water heating systems, particularly air-source heat pump water heaters (ASHPWHs), solar water heaters (SWHs) and solar-assisted heat pump water heaters (SAHPWHs), as well as the background literature of the studies on these systems, carried out in South Africa, under the energy management schemes, is presented.