Heat pump hot water service - options, what to consider

My electric storage hot water system will need to be replaced. I do not have solar panels and I am looking for a heat pump system. I was thinking about 300 l (in case I have visitors). Meanwhile I also found that there seem to be lot of problems. Should I just get another storage hot water system and save myself all the trouble of changing to something new???

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Choice has some advice.

There are also a few topics that touch on specific makes and models discoverable using the Community search tool for ‘heat pumps’ and ‘hot water systems’.

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Depending on which State you live in, you should be able to access a free/heavily subsidised heat pump - because you have an electric HWS: there are rebate schemes to encourage you to use an environmentally friendly option instead.

I used Ecovantage (because of the quality of their heat pumps, in comparison to some other Government registered suppliers/installers). There were two separate properties involved: one only required the basic 155L, the other - a twinned system to cover the greater numbers in the household.

Ecovantage is based in Victoria: the two properties mentioned above, in regional South Australia. It took a few months (early July to 11th November) to get a confirmed installation date (tied up with training & certification of SA installers), but - when the date arrived, it was very efficiently done!

One team arrived with the HWS, closely followed by the electrician: they installed one at a property (on the way), then a twin system - total 310L - in town (mains water), followed by a single one (gravity fed) on a rural property 40kms away. They packed up and were on the road back to Adelaide by 5pm!!

The recipients are very happy with them, especially for the household of 3 adults and five children: they haven’t run out of hot water since… and at a cost of $99 for both of them.

Here are some details of the information they require (c&p from one, of many, emails I received, plus phone calls - great communication).

" Based on the information you have provided us your estimated upgrade cost for a 155L heat pump is: $99.00 (GST inclusive).

As we are looking to begin booking customers in soon for their upgrades we were hoping you could provide us with photos of the following for both properties so we can ensure a smooth and timely upgrade of your hot water system.

** Your current hot water system*
** Your current hot water system’s location*
** Your switchboard with the cover open*
** Where your new heat pump will be located.*

As always if you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Kind regards,

Tom

Ecovantage
Customer Service and Sales

1300 721 335

I hope this helps you in your decision making!

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Sorry! Forgot to add the website link…

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If reliability is a concern heat pumps are the most complex option.

  • warranty conditions,
  • length of warranty,
  • warranty/service support that is available locally,

are all needs to consider.

Choice has not reviewed Heat Pump hot water systems. There is a hot water system reliability review available. Note it is a little dated 2017 and may be member only content.

The Choice Guide ‘How to buy the best hot water system’ provides links to the subsidies available for Solar and Heat Pump HWS. Only SA, Vic and ACT have current schemes in place. There are links in the guide. Conditions Apply.

The Commonwealth Govt also provides STC rebates (conditions apply) for all states and territories. Typically up to $1000 depending on system size and post code.

If cost/budget is most important?
A standard electric storage HWS is more expensive (cost of electricity) to run compared with a similar sized heat pump system. A heat pump HWS of similar size will cost substantially more to purchase and install. Consider whether the savings in electricity costs will justify the difference in upfront costs including any rebates. My personal choice is a 5 year pay back of the difference in upfront costs from the savings.

The purchase cost of a replacement electric storage HWS (315l enamel glass tank) Rheem/Aquamax will be around $1500. Depending on brand of heat pump, specials etc the purchase costs are substantially more $3000 -$4500. Installation is not included.

The installation cost may be greater to replace an electric storage HWS with a heat pump HWS. It will vary with the brand and model of heat pump system chosen. It’s important to get quotes from at least 3 installers including one from the installer recommended by the HWS supplier. The quotes to install can vary substantially.

Some heat pump HWS are supplied with a stand alone compressor/evaporator unit, (similar to a split system AC out door unit). These require extra space, time and work to install.

Note that some heat pump HWS suppliers recommend replacement systems with less storage capacity than the existing standard electric storage HWS. Consider when and how much hot water you consume at present. Whether your current HWS electrical supply is on a night rate off peak supply, full rate or other should also be considered.

A heat pump HWS will use around one quarter of the electricity to deliver the same amount of hot water when compared to a standard electric storage HWS. Most heat pump HWS also include a lower powered electric resistance heater to boost output. Operation of the boost heater is not energy efficient. Operation of the boost will reduce any savings. Some heat pump systems are not recommended or suitable for colder climates. A reputable supplier is important.

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As mentioned in the Choice review, heat pumps can be noisy. Our neighbour has one and it’s a noisy thing to have between two houses 3 metres apart, making the water pump right next to our property. It runs for several hours a day and more in the cooler months. It’s interesting that due to the noise Choice says you can’t install close to a neighbouring property. Unfortunately as with all things council and noise, our council doesn’t regulate the location of any noise producing household electrical appliance, including air conditioning, and as they don’t class the noise as excessive, we just have to put up with the invasive noise. It seems that the position is down to you doing the right thing by your neighbours and considering the positioning for your own comfort.

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I’m happy with the Sanden heat pumps bought for my property and my mother’s. Mine has been in for 18 months or so without fault; her’s for a few years without fault. Tanks are stainless steel with very long warranty and made in Albury NSW. Both were bought because of the high efficiency, relatively long warranties, and that they’re quiet (much quieter than most air conditioner condensers). Like any heat pump, they will be a bit more efficient if the condenser is on the warmer side of the house. If you can enclose the tank in the house or in an insulated cabinet this will improve efficiency, especially in cold climates, but is not necessary. Up-front cost is high but operational cost very low. Comes with an internal timer that can put the heating cycle in sync with peak solar power generation (assuming a sunny day) or potentially when mains power is cheapest. Sanden systems have the heat pump/condenser separate to the tank, which can provide more flexibility with installations e.g. tank could go inside but heat pump outside or in adequately ventilated garage. System attracts renewable energy subsidy in NSW but is still relatively expensive (~$5k installed). Some folks might suggest that if you don’t have solar but have a roof that can accommodate it, you just buy a relatively cheap replacement ‘kettle’ HWS and direct the money that you’d save on a high-spec heat pump HWS towards a small solar system. You can then put a timer on the ‘kettle’ so that it comes on when your solar system is likely to be generating max power - likely more than enough to run it with some to spare.

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I’ve got a Hydrotherm heat pump HWS. It was here (and I was told it was about 5 years old) when I moved into the house in 2017 and while I thought it was playing up at one point - causing me to ring for a service call - the problem was fixed over the phone.

The power consumption is so small, I took it off the controlled load supply (I have 6kW of solar panels) and while there is a noise when it’s running, the noise is no worse than an air conditioner compressor (which is what it really is).

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Thanks for all the answers. Due to the urgency (my old hot water service leaked badly) and the delays in getting a heat pump one (in my case some work would have had to be done outside and noise was also a consideration), I settled for another electric storage hot water system.

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As electric storage hotwater are one of the more expensive ways to heat water, it might be prudent to check the electricity plan you are on to see if it is best suited to the new storage system you have installed. Depending on where you live and what is available:

  • Check if there are cheaper regulated tariffs available for off-peak heating. This might be special offpeak tariffs where a ripple controller/switch is used (installed if it hasn’t been in the past) and the network operator controls when it is turned off and on.
  • If you are on time based usage (e.g. peak, offpeak, shoulder) and hot water heating can occur at any time, it might be also exploring the possibility of installing a timer so that the water heats when the cheapest you are paying the cheapest rate for your electricity. The timer is set to the times when electricity supply costs are cheapest. It is important to keep an eye on changes to cheapest rates as these may/could change over time.

The above is generally possible with larger hot water systems which capacity exceed daily use of the household. Water can be heated any time of the day, adequate supply stored and used when needed.

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Thank you for your reply. I have an off-peak service, which heats at night. We also reduced the temperature to 60 C. I appreciate that you took the time to write.

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I am about to upgrade to a heat pump. I am trying to find the best three. It seems that different heat pumps are tied to different plumbing companies resulting in biased reports. Any recommendations from anyone.

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Welcome to the forum Bill.

What do intend to heat or cool? There are pumps for drying clothes, heating water and heating rooms that I can think of quickly, no doubt there are others. Depending on your definition both house air-conditioning and refrigerators have heats pumps as part of them.

G’day syncretic BS buster! I am after a Heat pump hot water system about 250lt in size for two people, so I can get of gas and use the surplus from my solar panels and battery.

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Choice has some articles on hot water systems generally which includes heat pumps, I think this is open access. I cannot find a review of specific models though.

There are independent consumer organisations overseas similar to Choice that may review models. Not all those are necessarily available in Oz however.

You can check out commercial review sits like Product Review but (as mentioned in other threads) their reviews are not necessarily honest or unbiased, you will need to judge what you read there carefully.

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Thanks.

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This is a link to a previous discussion thread on HWS options - including heat pumps - Heat pump hot water service - options, what to consider - #3 by evanstrish3

It is worthwhile checking out potential rebates offered in your State: they apply to replacement of both old electric and gas HWS’s (not quite as generous for gas though…!).

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There are several existing topics that may be of further interest. Sometimes looking to the experiences of others can assist with understanding how the products can differ.

Quantum Hot Water Heat Pumps

Eco Alliance Dynaheat heat pump hot water system

Note the most common options typically have a heat pump unit installed on the top of the tank. There are a limited number of models with the heat pump unit independent of the tank.

The following also provides a useful reference on the relative benefits, and alternatives.

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Hello,
I’m also trying to work out which is the best heat pump water system to replace an 18yr old mains gas hot water system that has failed. My plumber has given me a quote for an Enviro-heat 250litre which is approx $600 more than a replacement ‘like for like’ gas system. As we have solar panels it seems to make sense to switch to a heat pump. Dose anyone have experience of an Enviro-heat system? Thank you, Jess

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For those who retain an interest in heat pump hot water systems, I came across an alternative I was not aware of, which is applicable to properties with solar panels and an electric HWS.

I am planning to replace an ageing electric system and was drawn by the rebates to research heat pump systems. My concern about these is based on the need for the compressor to work for long hours every day in cloudy weather and the potential replacement cost without rebates after a few years of operation. I would expect an overworked compressor with moving parts to have the potential to fail long before a simpler system.

My plumber suggested installing an electronic smart switch to redirect the spare solar power to the HWS before sending it to the grid. The effect of this in sunny weather is to power the HWS completely from solar. In prolonged rainy spells, the switch automatically draws power from the grid and claims to favour off-peak times if that is feasible. It also has control buttons to choose an immediate switch to the grid supply if needed or solar only option. This last option is for sunny weather or holiday times and will not boost the heating at all.

With this switch I believe I might have a better option than installing a heat pump system, because I have solar panels which often send power to the grid. The only catch, if I can make a pun on the switch brand name, is that it is not compatible with a heat pump system, because of the way the power is supplied (non-technical description). The other small down-side is that it is not subject to a rebate, probably because it is only making more efficient use of existing systems, although I’m not sure that would be a convincing argument.

For anybody interested in pursuing this, I would certainly appreciate some advice from a more technical viewpoint, and we might find it is a better option for properties with solar panels. It is a locally made product and details can be found on the website at www.catchpower.com.au. Maybe it deserves a lot more exposure.

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