Millions yet to heed new law on water heaters

An estimated 3.2 million facilities that have not complied with a law requiring them to install solar water heaters have six months to do so.

Those who contravene the provisions of this regulation shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding Sh1 million, or to one-year imprisonment, or to both.

A number of hotels, learning institutions, commercial buildings and households are among those targeted following implementation of the Solar Water Heating Regulations 2012, says a study by the energy sector regulator.

According to the law, all premises with hot water requirements exceeding 100 litres per day must install and use solar heating systems.

The law says that within five years from the date of coming into force of these regulations, all existing premises should have complied.

The Energy Regulatory Commission acting director general, Mr Pavel Oimeke, said so far 90 per cent of new buildings have complied with the law, while existing buildings have reported 10 per cent compliance.

“The law requires that before you construct a house, the architectural designs must incorporate solar water heaters. The compliance levels are very high in new buildings because we are working with county governments and planning officials to approve only those facilities that comply with the requirements,” said Mr Oimeke.

Cut power costs

Speaking in Kisumu during a media training workshop for journalists from Western region, Mr Oimeke said institutions should embrace solar water heating systems as they cut the cost of electricity by more than 50 per cent in huge commercial buildings and 30 per cent in domestic houses.

“Instead of using electricity to boil water for bathing, it is cheaper and sustainable to use free energy from the sun to heat water,” said Mr Oimeke.

He added: “If you are using electricity worth Sh10 million and you install these systems, you will be paying about Sh5 million in bills.

Those in the hospitality industry, he said, are complying because they know the importance of these systems.

He added that if there are technical challenges in installing the systems in an old building, one should apply to be exempted after engineers review the application to ensure it meets the criteria.

“We can’t come to arrest you immediately and take you to court. When we carry out inspection and realise that a certain facility has not complied, the owner will be given a notice to comply. After the notice expires, they will be a grace period of six months to comply,’ said Mr Oimeke.