Rinnai is one of the largest names in hot water with more than 50 years operating experience in Australia. While most Australians will be familiar with Rinnai’s gas or electric hot water services, Rinnai’s heat pump hot water offering is perhaps less well known.

One of the clear positives of Rinnai units is they are made in Australia. In fact, I had the privilege of touring Rinnai’s manufacturing facility in Braeside in Melbourne. It was amazing to watch units being produced. Pleasingly, the people I spoke with at Rinnai said the area dedicated to making heat pump hot water units is rapidly expanding.

Rinnai’s Enviroflo comes in three sizes: 215L, 280L and 300L. The Enviroflo has gone through a number of iterations, with the latest GR series coming out in December 2024.

Below, I put the Enviroflo through the framework I have developed for reviewing heat pump hot water units:

  1. Cost
  2. Reliability/Warranty
  3. Refrigerant
  4. Maintenance

Let’s jump in and see how the Rinnai Enviroflo stacks up.

 

 

1. Rinnai Enviroflo Cost

 

A 280L Rinnai Enviroflo through Powrhouse typically costs around $2,500 fully installed (assuming customers are eligible for all rebates). This price includes a plumber to disconnect and remove the existing unit, an electrician to wire the unit to the switchboard and we claim the rebates on your behalf. Installation may cost higher if the unit will be in a new location, if wiring costs extra or if there is no more room on the switchboard.

This price is mid range. It’s a little more expensive than other mid-range units like Aquatech and Haier and considerably lower than the premium units (eg: Sanden, Reclaim). It’s more expensive than what we think are poorer quality units like Emerald, Ecogenica, Enviroheat.

 

 

2. Reliability and Warranty

 

When analysing reliability, we recommend you consider the following:

  • how long the current unit has been in market
  • reviews and online forums
  • warranty terms
  • the company offering the warranty

The Enviroflo has been in the market since 2018. This is better than some newer units, but not as long as market pioneers like Aquatech and Sanden.

Unfortunately, there are very few reviews on the Enviroflo. Product Review has a score of 3 stars from 7 reviews. I don’t think this is enough reviews to draw any meaningful conclusions.

Rinnai’s Enviroflo warranty is reasonable. 7 years on the cylinder is good, 3 year labour warranty is ok and 3 years on refrigeration components is ok.

 

 

Assessing the reliability of Rinnai’s Enviroflo is a little difficult. On the positive, the warranty is reasonable and the units are backed by a household name. On the negative, we could question the relevance of Rinnai’s experience – they have 50 years of making electric and gas hot water services, but they are newer to heat pumps. All-in-all, I think Rinnai Enviroflo is a solid choice.

 

 

3. Refrigerant

 

The Rinnai Enviroflo uses Propane (R290) as a refrigerant. Propane has a Global Warming Potential (GWPs) of 3 and is only bettered by Carbon Dioxide as a refrigerant with a Global Warming Potential of 1.

 

 

4. Maintenance

 

Enviroflo’s maintenance requirements are in line with better quality units. Here is a summary of what you’ll be required to do:

  • 6 months (owner) – operate the PTR valve, check overflow tray and drain to ensure they are free from blockages
  • 5 years (plumber) – check anode and replace if necessary, replace the PTR valve, check and clean tempering valve and filters

 

 

Enviroflo Review Summary

 

Powrhouse is independent. Powrhouse recommends the Rinnai Enviroflo purely as a result of our thorough research of the heat pump hot water market. The conclusion of this research is we think the Enviroflo is a great offering. We are not affiliated with Rinnai and indeed our recommendations will likely change over time as the market evolves.

If you are interested in a quote for a heat pump hot water unit, we’d love to hear from you. 

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