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What's The Deal with Heat Pumps?

Why are so many people talking about heat pumps? Is it a fad?, Is there a heat pump cult?

No, heat pump technology has been around for a while, it is just now with the cost of living rising, more people are caring for the environment and the advancement of heat pump technology, that it has become mainstream. We cover more about heat pump hot water systems below

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Heat pumps

What is a heat pump hot water system?

Heat pump hot water systems are a highly efficient way to heat water. Rather than the traditional resistance electric, gas or solar hot water systems of old, heat pumps are relatively new, environmentally friendly and a very economical alternative way to heat your water. Essentially a heat pump is a hot water system that uses the air around us to heat water, saving you lots of money in heating costs in return.

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how do heat pumps work?

Heat pump water heaters use electricity to move heat from one place to another instead of generating heat directly. Therefore, they can be two to three times more energy efficient than conventional electric resistance water heaters. To move the heat, heat pumps work like a refrigerator in reverse. While a refrigerator pulls heat from inside a box and sends it into the surrounding room, an air-source heat pump water heater pulls heat from the surrounding air and transfers it -- at a higher temperature via a heat exchanger to heat water in an insulated storage cylinder. These systems typically use around 60 to 75% less electricity than a conventional electric hot water system -- to heat water in a storage tank.

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Why Should i buy a heat pump hot water system?

Easy, you want to save Money on Water Heating costS!

Advantages and Disadvantages of Heat Pumps

Advantages:

Energy-efficient: Heat pumps can be more energy-efficient than traditional heating and cooling systems, leading to lower energy bills.
Environmentally friendly: Since heat pumps use electricity instead of burning fossil fuels, they produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
Heating and cooling in one system: Heat pumps provide both heating and cooling, eliminating the need for separate systems.

Disadvantages:

Higher upfront costs: Heat pumps can have higher upfront costs than traditional systems, although the rebates and long-term energy savings should offset this.
Reduced performance in extreme temperatures: The COP of air-source heat pumps can drop in very low outdoor temperatures, reducing their efficiency.
Noise: Heat Pumps make noise, the trick is to choose one that makes less noise or too run it hours that wont upset the neighbours.

Noise Level Comparison

Heat Pumps are like air-conditioners they produce noise, to give you a fair understanding of what you are buying, you'll find most air-conditioners are around 40-60dB, the heat pumps that Oz Heat pumps supply range between 37dB and 54dB with most listed around the mid to forties.

They chart below will give you an idea of what dB most daily activities produce. Please check you local council for noise guidelines in your area.

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How do I choose the right one?

Information is the key, at Oz Heat Pumps we do all the research for you, we deal with all major heat pump manufacturers so we don't play favourites like so many other suppliers. At Oz Heat Pumps we present each systems' features and benefits so you can make the choice not us, no hard sell, no selling to make a quota or because we make more money off certain products, just the facts and advice for you to make a decision. You can buy direct from us and have the unit installed by your own plumber or get quotes from our trusted installers and use one of them.

We like to make sure our customers are well informed before making an important decision, the below details are what we consider to be the important deciding factors when purchasing a heat pump.

Coefficient of Performance (COP)

The COP is a crucial metric for determining the energy efficiency of a heat pump. It measures the ratio of the heating or cooling output to the electrical energy input. A higher COP means that the heat pump is more efficient at converting electricity into heating or cooling. So in general terms the higher the COP the more efficient it is.

Factors Influencing COP

Several factors can impact a heat pump’s COP, including:

The outdoor temperature
The type of heat pump
The system design

Tip: As the outdoor temperature drops, the COP of an air-source heat pump decreases, A good heat pump COP is generally between 3.0 and 5.0 when measured against water temperature of 20 degrees. (Nb: Not all companies measure their COP at the same temp)

Value for Money (Price vs Efficiency vs Reliability)

Price, Efficiency & Reliability are important factors when considering any large purchase, obviously a heat pump is a large expense and you don't want to pay more money than you need to with the cost of living rising so quickly. Generally the retail price of a heat pump is between $2000 and $6000 for the system plus install costs. The federal & state government in most states have rebates to offset some, if not all of the cost to install a system. (Please see our rebates page for more information)

All the heat pumps sold by Oz Heat Pumps are all well known respected systems that vary in build cost & components, many come from China, some from Australia & some from Europe. We find the best way to compare the heat pump system is like comparing a car. Check all the feature and benefits you get for you money and if you're happy with what you get, only spend what you need to. Remember If you want a Ferrari and you can afford it then that is fine but a Toyota will still get you to where you want to go just a bit slower and will cost less to do so.

Warranty (Is it built to last)

Warranty is an important factor to consider when considering any big purchase, whether it is a new car, a home or an appliance like a hot water heat pump. Most heat pumps on the Australian market have similar warranties on tanks & compressors, however there are a number of variations regarding components. When making your choice these warranties should be compared to make sure you are getting value for money. Price usually dictates the length of warranty provided. Given the average length of time a hot water system is expected to last is 7-10 years, you may want to consider either spending more to cover your bases or take the risk with a lesser warranty but also save yourself on upfront costs. All the units sold by Oz Heat Pumps have the warranties of each unit listed on the sales pages.

Reputation

Don't get caught up with hearsay from a relative or so called "well meaning friend". Do some research, read forums, discuss with people in the industry you will soon find out about the reputation of the manufacturer or distributor, assess bad ratings or web sites and take them with a grain of salt. If there is more than 70% good verses bad comments maybe there are other factors at play & the company warrants more investigation. After all you what to purchase a product that does what the company says it will and if there is a problem you want to know they will support it.

sales@ozheatpumps.com.au