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Solar water heaters for low-economy public housing in Tel- Aviv metropolin
Solar water heaters, called "dudei shemesh" in Hebrew, are made of two pieces: the solar panel and the water tank. The solar panel is a large, flat rectangular box containing a winding pipe. The water flowing through the pipe is heated by the sun, then rises into the insulated tank at the top of the system.
Israel’s fame for solar water-heating capacity is world-known and well deserved. Nevertheless – many public buildings inhabited before the law requiring solar water heaters was issued – still heat both space and water with polluting kerosene burnt in central boilers during both summer and winter. These buildings are typically populated by poorer families that choose to avoid the solar system’s initial cost (ca. 1000 CAD) and opt to pay the monthly communal kerosene bill. Due to the nature of public dwelling regulations it takes a consensus vote to renovate or replace commonly owned infrastructure. One family resisting the switch to solar system can prevent 30-50 other families from doing so.
Dror 19 St, Jaffa, Old kerosene boiler
Soaring oil prices affect lower socio-economical groups struggling to get by. Burning kerosene for water heating is an almost phased out polluting practice – and the associated environmentalfutility is especially lucid in face of the solar technology’s availability and proven performance.
Making The Switch is a GEI project intended to break the financial barrier preventing a number of public residential buildings in Holon and Jaffa (Tel-Aviv Metropolin) from using solar power to heat water. The project helps 10 of these buildings to replace the boilers through securing a financing deal and a special price with a local solar heaters producer, and by reducing the down-payment for the poorer families with a 10% carbon funding subsidy.
 
Dror 19 St, Jaffa, New solar water heaters
Each installation will prevent the burning of 18,000 liters of kerosene per 42-family building per year (average collected data). Solar water heaters are guaranteed for 10 years. Total project carbon credits for 10 buildings including baseline adjustments forelectric water heating on cloudy days are 5000 tons CO2eq.
Price per ton CO2eq: 13.00$
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