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^^ Quick version
You have decided to look into switching to a heat pump hot water unit. You’ve done some research and found out that heat pump hot water units are the most efficient, cheapest, smartest and most environmentally friendly way to heat your home’s hot water. Now comes the tricky part – how to choose a heat pump hot water unit.
And here’s the bad news: there are heaps of heat pump hot water units on the market, and most of them belong in the bin.
Luckily, there’s good news: Powrhouse is here to help.
Throughout this article and accompanying video, we clearly explain how to choose a heat pump hot water unit, setting out a framework of factors that you should consider when researching units. By the end, you’ll be well equipped to make an informed choice, and also understand why we recommend certain brands.
Please also see our article on “How much does heat pump hot water cost and how much will you save?”
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A quick note before we start: Powrhouse is independent. While you’ll see at the end of the article that we currently only recommend one or two products, we are not affiliated with those products. We have a very clear mission at Powrhouse which is to make it easy for people looking to install a hot water heat pump – we only deal in the best brands, we provide the best advice and we will not be beaten on price. We don’t understand why other retailers and installers stock an enormous range of units. In our view, pick one or two units which will serve customers well. This benefits our customers as we are able to provide clear, easy to understand advice and, by only dealing in a narrow range, we access volume discounts which we pass on to customers.
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Main Factors for Choosing Heat Pump Hot Water
Our framework for analysing heat pump hot water unit brands includes three main factors: cost, reliability and refrigerants.
Before we go through each of these below, we should explain minor factors: noise, heat, geography and where the units are made. These are minor factors as they’re mostly no longer an issue. Some older units developed a reputation for being noisy, not working in certain colder climates and not heating the water sufficiently. This really isn’t an issue anymore for good quality units which aren’t noisy, heat the water to 60 degrees plus and work in colder climates. There’s every chance these minor factors will still be an issue for cheaper, poor quality units. We prefer Australian made units, but this is not always possible and should be balanced against price.
Let’s dive into the main factors.
1. Cost
We have seen heat pump hot water units advertised as low as free and as high as $9,000. Both sides of that range are equally ridiculous. On the low side, aggressive advertisers on Facebook and Instagram offer free hot water upgrades with government rebates. The units are usually rubbish. Unfortunately people spin up these companies which chase and exploit rebates with unsuspecting customers. On the high side, we’ve heard of some people taking advantage by selling units for absurd prices.
Good quality units range from $2,500 to $6,500, not including rebates. We like the Hydrotherm Dynamic X8 and Rapid X6 sold by Aquatech, which we typically sell fully installed for around $2,800 and $3,150 respectively. We go through in more detail below, but we think the Aquatech units are the best value units on the market.
Reclaim and Sanden are the two leading units on the market. Unfortunately they sell for upwards of $6,000 and as well as being too expensive for many people, we don’t think the higher price tag is justified.
2. Reliability and Warranty
There are two approaches on how to choose a heat pump hot water unit: buy cheap and hope it lasts, or pay a bit extra and know that you are buying a good quality unit. We only do the latter.
When analysing reliability, we recommend people research reviews and online forums. It’s one thing to take our word, or a plumber’s word, but a multitude of reviews are very helpful. We also place greater value on reviews of units that have been operating for a long time. It’s one thing to read a review of a unit installed 3 months ago, but it’s more valuable to read a review of a unit that has been operating for 5 plus years. We like Product Review and the Facebook Group My Electric Efficient Home.
Our approach at Powrhouse is simple – only recommend something you would recommend to your Mum. We don’t deal in rubbish units, only good quality units that are supported by warranty and will stand the test of time. Good quality units should last in excess of 10 years. We’d much prefer to take the approach of buying a good quality unit which will last a long time, rather than try our luck with a poor quality unit, which in some cases may last, but in many will not.
Some further points about warranties – all units installed under the Victorian government rebate must come with a 5 year warranty. It’s important to buy from a reputable company, preferably with a long track record, that will honour any warranty. “Rebate hunters” selling free or $39 units won’t be around in 5 years to speak to or honour their warranty.
Secondly, the Reclaim and Sanden units mentioned above only come with a 7/8 year and 6 year warranty, respectivel. We’d like to see this increased to 10 years minimum to justify the high price tag. Until then, even though the companies say the units “should” last 10 or 15 years, we don’t think it’s the best value for money.
3. Refrigerants
As we transition from fossil fuel powered to clean economies, many of us are happy to pay a “green premium” – that is, a premium for green options. The beauty about heat pump hot water units is they come with a “green discount” – they are greener and cheaper to run.
However, not all units are equally green. In fact, many well known units out there brand themselves as the best choice for the environment, but when we dive into the detail, we realise that’s not necessarily the case.
Each heat pump hot water unit uses a refrigerant that acts as the medium that transfers heat from air to water. There are a wide range of refrigerants on the market, but many of them are terrible for the environment. In fact, most of the heat pump hot water units on the market use terrible refrigerants.
The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water has a helpful list of refrigerants and their global warming potential (GWP). The GWPs are values that allow direct comparison of the impact of different greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by comparing how much energy one tonne of a particular gas will absorb compared to one tonne of carbon dioxide. The GWP of carbon dioxide is therefore 1 and the GWP of propane, the refrigerant used in Aquatech’s products, is 3.
The GWP of other refrigerants commonly used in heat pump hot water units is concerning. We’ve highlighted below the GWP of R-134A which is 1,430! If the refrigerant used in one of these units were to escape, it would trap 1,430 times the amount of heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide! In our view, these refrigerants should not be allowed to be sold on market.
Consumers need to be smart in analysing refrigerants. It frustrates us when we see examples like below from Evoheat. While Evoheat’s statements about other refrigerants and their effect on the ozone layer are true, and while it’s true that R-410A is better for the environment than these refrigerants, it’s arguably misleading to say that it is “protecting the environment” when it has a GWP of 2,088.
The good news is that there are affordable units on the market which use better refrigerants with a low GWP. Powrhouse will only ever deal in and recommend these units.
Mapped – The Market for Heat Pump Hot Water Units
We have mapped every unit on the market so they can easily be compared.
Click here to open this image in a new tab.
We believe Aquatech’s Hydrotherm Dynamic X8 and Rapid X6 are the best value units on the market.
Aquatech: Hydrotherm Dynamic X8 and Rapid X6
Please see separate articles on why we like the Hydrotherm and why we like the Rapid X6.
The only difference between the two units is the size of the tanks. The Hydrotherm stores 260L and the Rapid X6 stores 210L. We recommend the Hydrotherm for households of more than 3 people and the Rapid X6 for households of 3 or less people. Many Powrhouse customers opt for the Hydrotherm even in a 2 person household so they have enough hot water if they have visitors.
Summary
We hope you have found this article and/or video helpful. Whether you choose to go with Powrhouse or another provider, we hope this framework helps in selecting your next heat pump hot water unit.
The technology and market is developing at a rapid rate. Powrhouse will likely recommend and deal in other units, and we are certainly keeping an eye on market developments.
If you are interested in a quote for either of the Aquatech products, or if you have any other questions, we’d be delighted to hear from you. Please feel free to contact Tim on 0401 324 961 or use our Contact Form.
