Buying A Hot Water Heat Pump In Australia: Everything You Should Know

A hot water heat pump is hands down the most energy-efficient way to heat your water - especially when paired with solar.

In this video, I go through everything you need to know before buying a heat pump.

00:00 - Introduction
01:02 - How do heat pumps work?
02:42 - How much do heat pumps cost?
04:03 - Which heat pumps are worth considering?
05:38 - Government rebates and STCs
07:13 - What makes a good heat pump?
11:26 - Heat pump installation
14:58 - Why sacrificial anodes are so important
17:46 - Integrating with solar and batteries
19:20 - Conclusion

[roadstardelta]

Great video.
There is one exception. If you have a large solar system (mine makes almost 100kWh on a perfect day, very seldom less than 40) and you 'sell' a lot of power to the grid for next to nothing (soon to be nothing) you might as well keep your much cheaper electric storage system going. If you spend $5000 on a top end HP system, vs $1500 on a large electric, you cannot ever pay that money back by selling the power you save to the grid for cents/kWh - and fast reducing to nothing as we have seen already in Vic.

[guringai]

Excellent advice.
We've had a Sanden 315 litre for 11 years now, flawless, for up to 6 people.
On our Airbnb, we installed a Reclaim 160 litre, due to the improved timer & longer warranty & that's been going like a dream for 5 years.

[enricoferri]

Thanks for another great video. We have a Sanden installed in 2021 and very happy with it. It is so quiet and uses so little energy and is timed to come on with the solar. Free hot water. Heat pumps with solar PV are a no brainer.

[Chukavelli]

The picture of Hank Hill at 9:53 was absolutely perfect😂, Hank would be proud to see how far propane has come

[peterbarreca]

You have done an exceptional job covering heat pumps.
You covered everything in depth thoroughly.
I am going to go with a cheaper option.
To get rid of my gas heating I am going with a solar switch and plain off peak electric storage tank. I won’t get a rebate even though I am replacing gas but cheaper overall and using solar to heat water during the day so lose 1.5 cents a kw.

[stephencaldwell]

Brilliant video! So clear with the useful information. We have a Sandon one about 6 years old and had a few issues and the original installer thinks we need to replace is in around 6 months so that’s disappointing. It’s never had its sacrificial anode changed and it has been installed under a ledge impeding access so now I know what to look out for!

[billx]

I’ve been utterly befuddled by heat pumps (along with solar panels, batteries), but im considerably less so now 🙂 I’ll probably need to watch it a couple more times so it all really sinks in, but that’s a comment on my brain, not the brilliance of the video - thank you so much. I presume like most (all?) hot water systems they’re best placed close to where you need the hot water, bathroom, laundry, kitchen? And do they need to be a certain distance from a window? I’ve got a relatively new gas hot water tank, indoors🤦‍♂️ so would love a set up outside to free up space in the laundry. But even with ‘rebates’ is it worth it financially 🤔 still not sure but feeling less befuddled by all the tech ins and outs and considerations. Thanks again. I’ll be subscribing to the channel 👍

[andrewfleming]

If you've got a reasonable sized system I'd forget about heat pumps and stick to resistance heating.
I've got 12kw panels on the roof and an inverter throttled back to 5kw to suit the Tesla battery.
I have my hot water on daytime tariff with a timer to switch on at 11:00 and off at 15:00.
Even on an overcast day the battery will get some charge before 11:00 to assist the panels if need be.
Stopping at 15:00 allows some time for the batteries to charge before daylight fades.
If you really need to, you can put some charge into the battery on the off-peak tarrif to see you through the night.

[mickstace]

Did not expect to see an ENR in a hot water system video, nice choice! Great info as well.

[jeffyablon]

You provide a most valuable social service for all of us and your videos are so enjoyable and entertaining; however, you should not litter, even if its your power bill :)

Very informative, thanks. Can you please speak to the location of the heatpump? Our current hot-water system is in the garage, not outside. From a plumbing perspective, would be easiest to replace in-situ. Apart from the potential issue of noise, is there an issue of efficiency related to outdoor/indoor?

[DavidG-]

Very interesting. We went off gas in Melbourne in 2019 and installed a Sanden GS3-45HPA-AU with a 250 L stainless tank (25 yr warranty). CO2 refrigerant. The compressor (installed outside) is whisper quiet. I think the system cost us $3500 after STC's and incentives, plus installation. The only issue we have had (touch wood) is that the pressure relief valve failed a few months after installation. This was replaced immediately under warranty. The only thing I would change is I would have fought harder for a larger tank. We started using the timer to heat during peak solar output, but had the exact same teenager issue. It takes about 2.5 kWh to heat overnight. No battery yet. Very happy with it.

[mark]

I consider myself well informed but I would have missed the height above the tank for the sacrificial anode replacement. Thanks

[hankjones]

Fantastic vid as always.
Just thinking out loud: Instead of spending $5k on a heat pump I might spend just $2k on a standard electrical system and then spend the extra $3k on solar panels to power it 🤔

[mazilys]

Great video thanks! Is it easy to just replace a current hot water heater with this

[rogerhanson]

We invested in a Sandex hot water heater connected to the Sanden water tank. Including the solar panel system with an inverter.
It’s taken five years to pay off the whole system. Now two years later on we have not ever paid one cent in electricity.

[fernandolongo]

Would be great for you to compare a 'traditional' electric hot water system (more reliable, cheaper upfront, lasts much longer) vs a heat pump set-up (more environmentally friendly?, cheaper to run?)

[vaughanharrison]

We have the Reclaim system with 400ltr tank running off excess solar, set at 11am - 3pm. Excellent system, never had a problem & whisper quiet.

[jmm_]

I've had a 270L istore since 2022 and it's caused no drama. It only runs at 9am each morning for about 2.5-3 hour hours on a timer and uses about 1.2kw per hour in that time off the solar. We've never run out of hot water and we are 2 adults and 2 small kids doing evening baths... as long as it lasts a long time it's definitely the way forward with solar.

[karl]

What about the timer control unit for the Reclaim sitting out in the sun all day? Also you can write the date to remove the anode on the tank and you need to check the pressure relive valve replacement date.