Heat Pump Hot Water heaters

[Litenbror]

Had a search but didn't find anything on these. New place is going to need a hot water heater soon so looking at replacing it with the Victorian subsidies. Currently have an electric hot water tank with a solar panel on the roof and a gas booster and going to replace it with a heat pump system. I have had some wild variations in price with an Ecogenica - EG-290FR frome Energy makeovers for $490 installed up to an Rinnai EHPA250VMA Enviroflo for $5150 installed by a local company. This is obviously the best option but also 10x the price. Warranties are similar but first one is probably not worth the paper its written on.

Anyone have any experience upgrading to a heat pump and especially using the Vic scheme and some of the dodgy installers?

 

[Dales Cannon]

Did you look through this?

Instantaneous hot water systems

Anyone got any experience with purchasing/fitting them, specifically electric ones? Have an elderly storage tank job thats getting a bit sad and am missing the instant gas system i had in Canberra. Suspect it will want 3 phase power to be decent though...

www.rotorburn.com

 

[oldcorollas]

if it has a heat pump.. why does it have a 3.6kW element as well? (or they all do?)

https://ecogenica.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/EG_Owners_Manual_FREFREC_21MAR_24.pdf

 

[beeb]

if it has a heat pump.. why does it have a 3.6kW element as well? (or they all do?)

https://ecogenica.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/EG_Owners_Manual_FREFREC_21MAR_24.pdf

Heat pumps can struggle at or around freezing ambient temperatures, so they often incorporate heater elements as a backup to keep the units functioning in those conditions (ie: Victorian winters, lol).

 

[Litenbror]

if it has a heat pump.. why does it have a 3.6kW element as well? (or they all do?)

https://ecogenica.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/EG_Owners_Manual_FREFREC_21MAR_24.pdf

Some of them, especially the big ones, have booster elements for particularly cold weather. Not particularly necessary on the Victorian coast as it doesn't get that cold (despite what the locals would have you believe).

 

[Litenbror]

Did you look through this?

Instantaneous hot water systems

Anyone got any experience with purchasing/fitting them, specifically electric ones? Have an elderly storage tank job thats getting a bit sad and am missing the instant gas system i had in Canberra. Suspect it will want 3 phase power to be decent though...

www.rotorburn.com

Does it have anything on heat pumps?

Edit: Ha, first comment is have you looked at heat pumps. The text search here really is terrible

 

[mark22]

Had a search but didn't find anything on these. New place is going to need a hot water heater soon so looking at replacing it with the Victorian subsidies. Currently have an electric hot water tank with a solar panel on the roof and a gas booster and going to replace it with a heat pump system. I have had some wild variations in price with an Ecogenica - EG-290FR frome Energy makeovers for $490 installed up to an Rinnai EHPA250VMA Enviroflo for $5150 installed by a local company. This is obviously the best option but also 10x the price. Warranties are similar but first one is probably not worth the paper its written on.

Anyone have any experience upgrading to a heat pump and especially using the Vic scheme and some of the dodgy installers?

Had Heat pumps for 18 years with running costs about 1/3 that of storage units, considering off peak rates are not as cheap as they once were they are cost effective.
https://www.evoheat-seq.com.au/hot-water-heat-pump/evo-270/
Above gets good reviews i have a bosch it has been no trouble, most units have elements that kick in in temperatures at negative 5c or so depending on brands.
I have always disliked those instantaneous units with their long drawer off's. Only good for holiday homes, builders used them some years back as the cheapest way to meet regulations.

 

[fjohn860]

(despite what the locals would have you believe).

Nothing like Canberra

 

[Litenbror]

Nothing like Canberra

Northern Tassie was worse. Grew up in houses that only had combustion heaters so mornings had ice on the insides of the windows.

 

[silentbutdeadly]

We've run a Sanden heat pump system for the last three (?) years. Central West NSW. Australian made tank with the heat pump system being from Japan. Never had an issue with cold weather. Regardless, it only runs for an hour or so in the middle of the day (hopefully when the sun is shining) during a three hour period using the on board timer as that's all it takes to heat a couple of hundred litres of water.

 

[Scotty T]

We have had a Sanden for several years in Canberra, it is awesome. Advice I got was they are the best brand for heat pump water, and don't get one without a separate condenser. If you plan to stay a long time I reckon spend the extra dough, they have stainless tanks and renowned for good performance in cold climates.

The ones with little built in condensers don't do so well in Canberra and they run hard when it's cold anywhere. You can program the Sanden to only operate during the day too, ours was meant to be set up like that but have never actually checked. It has no booster either, the good ones don't need it down to -10.

 

[Scotty T]

Funnily enough Sanden only make heat pump water heaters and never made gas appliances far as I can tell. But it's a water heater so who cares if other manufacturers also make gas appliances