Are Heat Pumps The Best Hot Water System?

With the great range of hot water systems available today, which is the best? Electric? Gas? Heat Pump? Solar? It depends on the criteria for evaluating “best”.  Some options to consider are:

  • You have no hot water right now and are on a budget.
  • Just need a changeover from a faulty system to new ie easiest to replace
  • Long term running costs
  • The price of the system relative to running costs.

This last would seem to be the preferred method. Providing the price is affordable, if it cost almost nothing to run why wouldn’t this be the best option?

Sanden Heat Pumps

  • Works in very cold conditions, down to -10 °C
  • Very quiet
  • Very easy to use.
  • 15 year Tank warranty
  • Australian/Japanese made
  • Stainless steel tanks
  • No gas or electric boost necessary.
  • Government rebates available.
  • 80% energy savings

Sanden Heat pumps are a very energy efficient type of hot water system, approximately five times more efficient than conventional electric hot water systems.

  • The latest heat pumps from Sanden can use off peak electricity to run at a cheaper rate (which the competitors cannot). This is because other heat pumps on the market need power available all the time due to that fact that they will not operate below +6c
  • Sanden Heat pumps work down to -10 °C

Sanden Heat pump hot systems are economical to run and provide a good balance between purchase price and ongoing running costs. They are therefore the best hot water system available today. This means that compared with a conventional electric a Sanden heat pump will save you 80% of your running costs. The savings are yours! When considering reliability, value for money, warranty, ease of use and running costs, Sanden heat pump hot water systems are the number one choice. While heat pump and solar systems may be perceived as being too expensive initially, their ability to provide cheaper hot water in the long run makes them the best choice. Considering Sanden heat pumps are more efficient than solar options, and heat pumps from other manufacturers, Sanden heat pumps are best.

Sanden energy efficient heat pump

Gas

Gas is a great option, if natural gas is available. Instant gas systems, unlike gas storage systems, do not require a tank of hot water to be maintained at a set temperature, and heat the water as required. Instant gas hot water systems are an excellent choice where natural gas is available and considering the relatively low initial purchase price. 6 star energy efficient systems from manufacturers such as Bosch heat the water with the minimal amount of gas required due to the efficiency of their heat converters. Some other notable features of instant gas hot water systems are the long warranties, the ability to pre set the temperature via control pads inside the home, bath fill options and reliability. Where an old instant gas system is being replaced due to age or other issues replacing it with a new instant gas system is the obvious choice due to the price of the unit and low installation cost. Presumably all the gas work is in place and a straight changeover is required. Natural gas hot water is the second choice for hot water heating and is more efficient than even conventional heat pumps, but not as efficient as Sanden heat pumps. Instant gas systems are economical to run and provide a good balance between purchase price and ongoing running costs. (Providing it is a natural gas system , as LPG systems can be one of the most expensive ways to heat water.)

Bosch gas hot water, Prospect

Solar

Solar hot water systems fall into two types, electric boosted solar and gas boosted. As you may have guessed, a gas boosted option is more affordable to run as Natural gas is cheaper than electricity. Gas boosted solar systems from quality manufacturers such as Rheem provide endless free hot water when there is enough sun. Available in 2 types, either a roof mounted or ground mounted tank, there are also options for frost protected systems for households in cooler areas. Ground mounted tanks tend to look better as only the solar panels are on the roof which also reduces the structural load on the roof. These systems are highly energy efficient and can cut energy use by 50%-70%. This is a significant saving, but the solar panels are only at their most efficient when the sun is shining. On overcast days the booster may be required to run to provide your hot water. Solar hot water systems also qualify for government rebates which helps to offset the relatively high initial purchase price. At SA Hot Water we handle all this paperwork on your behalf. Solar hot systems are economical to run and provide a good balance between purchase price and ongoing running costs. The initial purchase price may take some time to be recouped, but after that the ongoing costs are relatively low, – compared to electric or gas systems.

Solar hot water at Glenelg

Electric

Electric can probably be ruled out though, due to the price of electricity and the high ongoing running costs. Still, for some households, this may be the only option if they are on a budget and do not have access to natural gas. Nevertheless, running an electric hot water system for a small household can be reasonably economical if J tariff ie off peak electricity is available. This allows the tank to be heated when the price on Kw/hr is lowest. If J tariff is not available and you are heating water at the full retail electricity price then electric is not really an economical option. In this case, electric systems do not provide a good balance between purchase price and ongoing running costs.

electric hot water McLaren Vale