Heat Pump Buyers Guide
Types of Heat Pump Units
1) All in one types
The most common example of heat pumps. Easiest to install, although top heavy…….so needs a solid foundation. Disadvantage is if anything major goes wrong the whole unit may need replacing.
2) Split System
Generally has water flow/return pipes between the heat pump compressor unit and water storage tank. Potentially has a longer life as individual parts can be replaced. However slightly more plumbing is needed to connect units and poorer water quality needs to be accounted for.
Product Factors
Size with Demand
One tank size does not fit all. ~200litre systems suit 2-3 people. ~300litre systems suit ~4 people. Higher demand households should consider an electric backup boosted heat pump or a Japanese CO2 Heat Pumps (i.e. Reclaim Energy). These CO2 Heat Pumps are the only units on market that have an ‘instantaneous’ style of heat pump method……meaning its a lot harder to run out of hot water. The traditional heat pump method is a gradual heating, so if you run out of stored water you have to wait 2-5 hours for it to heat back up.
Noise / Timer Operation
Our strongest recommendation is to buy a heat pump with a built in timer. This ensures it never runs at night when noise could be an issue. It further ensures the heat pump operates during the day when the air temperature is hotter, thus its working at higher efficiencies. It also allows you to maximise benefit if you own solar power panels.
Manufacturers Presence in Perth
If the Manufacturer doesn’t have support staff / service team in WA, do not expect prompt after sales service care. Select a product that is backed here in WA.
Warranty
Look at the parts and LABOUR warranty when comparing systems. How many years are on the refrigeration side?
Efficiency
All systems are measured for performance against AS4234 Heated Water Systems – Calculation of Energy Consumption. This creates a % saving of energy versus an electric hot water system. This calculation is used to measure the Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs), the higher the savings, the greater the number of certificates created. For 3-4 person usage in Perth (zone 3) based on the 2008 calculation methodology:
| STCs | Medium Load Zone 3 (Estimated MJ/Year) | Savings versus Electric Storage | Estimated Running Costs based on A1 Perth Tariff of 28.8229cents |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 (Electric Storage) | |||
Most heat pumps on the market are at the 26-28 STC mark. The market leaders are the Japanese CO2 Heat Pumps with 32 STCs. Note real life performance can vary. Efficiency can potentially be improved further by running the heat pump only during the day. (Note this ‘measure’ is being phased out by reducing the valve 10% every year)
Refrigeration Type
If you want to be a real greeny then you might want to consider the Global Warming Effect of the refrigerant used should it be released to the atmosphere. R134a was the most common type used, largely replaced by R290. Naturally occurring R744 is employed in the Japanese CO2 Heat Pumps.
| Refrigerant | IUPAC Name | Net Global Warming Potential per 100 years |
|---|---|---|
Product Reviews
There are many websites offering consumer reviews. We can’t say you get an honest opinion of a products here, but can give you a gauge. We base our products on the number of callbacks we get. Quite honestly we don’t want any, so we only sell products that don’t cause us headaches!