Reports show that Kenya is emerging as a world leader in the adoption of solar equipment with statistics from David & Shirtliff showing that high electricity costs, irregular power supplies, and new regulations are driving exponential growth in its sale of solar-powered water heaters.
The National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) estimates the current demand for solar water heaters in Kenya at 65,000 units a year, with independent analysis now citing Kenya as the world leader in the number of solar power systems installed per head.
Globally, solar water heaters account for 0.5% of energy used in water heating, this low uptake is attributed to the initially high installation cost. Mr David Gatende, Davis & Shirtliff CEO states that the initial installation is more expensive, but once one installs a solar water heater, their water heating bills should drop by 50% to 80% and within two years they should have recovered their initial investment.
Full installation of a solar water heater system can cost from KES 165,000 to 277,400.
The government gazetted new regulations that require residential and commercial buildings that need more than 100litres of hot water a day to incorporate a solar hot water system.