A hot water diverter (aka solar diverter) diverts excess solar generation to heat an electric hot water cylinder instead of exporting this excess to the grid. The device works by assessing the amount of electricity being consumed in the house and how much solar power is being supplied, and it will automatically divert any leftover solar power into heating the hot water cylinder.

Up to 30% of your current power bill could be going towards heating your hot water cylinder. A diverter aims to avoid the hot water being heated by grid power as much as possible, reducing your power bill even further. It is a great option for customers who want to take the most out of their solar systems but are not committing to batteries yet.

If you know you have low power usage during the day while the sun is shining, it could benefit you to divert some of this solar power into heating your hot water cylinder, rather than selling it all back to the grid. If your family generally have evening showers, heating your hot water cylinder during the day should give you enough hot water for everyone to shower in the evening.

The solar diverter works in 2 ways:

1. Firstly, when the power being produced by your solar panels exceeds what you need to power your home, usually, your system will sell the excess back to the grid. With a solar diverter, this excess will first be used to heat your hot water cylinder.
2. If you know you want your water heated at a certain time, a timer can also be set on your hot water diverter. If you want your cylinder to be heated during your hours of free power, or if you want to take morning showers, you can set your diverter to boost during those times.

Check out our hot water diverter options in our Shop, or contact us today about how a hot water diverter can enhance your solar power system.