Solar heater industry commemorates
Valor Econômico 03/26/2009
The manufacturers of solar heaters were already enthusiastic about the possibility of increase in the sales since June last year, when the São Paulo Administration approved the obligation to use the equipment in new buildings. Now, with the housing package, which requires the installation of the heaters, they also gained the direct incentive of the Federal Government, although the setting up of the equipment in the new houses may still take from one to two years. But regardless of the time of maturity of the projects, the increase in the demand is certain. Luis Augusto Ferrari Mazzon, CEO of Soletrol, one of the largest producers of the country, emphasizes not only the volume of one million new houses, but the visibility the solar heating of water will have after being required by the Ministry of the Environment.
Manufacturers already counted on that possibility and now they only wait for the specifications of the models and the format of the public bids. According to the Ministry, the estimated cost for the installation of the equipments is of R$ 1.9 thousand (US$ 826) per house, what corresponds to nearly 3% of the value of the work. In the view of the companies, however, such value can be decreased due to the production in large scale. Amid the expectations regarding the impact of the new houses in their sales, both the entrepreneurs informed the intention of investing in their plants. In the case of Soletrol, until the end of next year the productive capacity will go from 200 thousand to 500 thousand units per year. The investment will amount to R$ 10 million (US$ 4.35 million). At Transsen, there is the perspective of increase in the work shifts and the installation of new units.