heat pump hot water vs electric storage hot water

Heat pump hot water vs. Standard electric storage hot water

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What if we say that you can now produce more than 3 kWh while using only 1 kWh in heating water when it is biting cold in Australia? Also, you can save up to 70 per cent on energy costs.

Sounds amazing, right?

Especially when you have been heating water using standard electric storage hot water heaters until now. But all you need is a hot water heat pump heater. Using a hot water heat pump heater has its reasons and is becoming more popular in Australia.

But before knowing why let’s know the difference between a hot water heat pump and a standard electric storage hot water heater very quickly.

What is the difference between Hot Water Heat Pumps and a Standard Electric Storage Hot Water System?

A standard electric storage hot water system works more like a gas water heater. It will heat your water using direct electrical energy. A regular electric water heater uses an immersed heating element and brings cold water inside the metal tank.

It then circulates the hot water through the house through a plumbing system. A conventional electric hot water system will run on electricity alone. They were preferred for their low upfront cost but took more heating time and became expensive to operate leading to higher utility bills.

On the other hand, a hot water heat pump system operates by transferring heat energy instead of producing it directly using electricity. Heat pump water heaters are efficient heating systems that take up heat energy from the environment. They then pass it to the water in the tank and heat it. Their operation is similar to that of refrigerators, where they use high-efficiency compressors. It increases the rate of exchange of heat, which makes the process of heating faster. With hot water heat pumps, the coefficient of performance (CoP) is more than three which leads to the production of high units of heat. It is an important metric when heating efficiency comes into consideration.

Is hot water heat pumps any good?

1. Energy efficient

If you have to heat a high amount of water, then hot water heat pumps are a great option. Why? Because they are efficient as they can easily collect the ambient warmth and transfer it fast to heat the water. Also, your hot water heat pump will take up less recovery time to reheat the tank if you have not used it for a long duration.

energy usage hot water heat pump vs electric storage water heater

Hot water heat pumps use just 30% the energy than a standard electric storage water heater.

And do you know some heat pumps have the efficiency of heating up to 50L of the tank in just 15 mins? Isn’t that exceptional?

Imagine the hundreds of dollars you can save in paying your energy bills. And you can always know the rate of recovery from the manufacturer because it is one of the crucial factors in deciding on a heat pump.

2. Environment friendly

Hot water heat pump heaters are an alternative to standard electric storage hot water heaters because they reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and cause less environmental pollution.

It is possible due to their high efficiency as they require less energy and can produce 3 to 5 times more renewable power than they need to power themselves.

Energystar.com says that if all the standard electric storage hot water heaters are replaced by hot water heat pumps, that would prevent approximately 150 billion pounds of GHG emissions.

What could be the safest option than a hot water heat pump when we need to save the planet from the worst climate change effects?

3. Incentives and rebates

There are concerns about the high upfront cost of hot water heat pump heaters in Australia. For all that, the Australian state and territory governments are giving incentives and rebates to make them an affordable option for homeowners.

It is always a smart investment to pay up a few thousand dollars if what you get in return is a high-quality hot water heat pump that will save you highly in the future.

We suggest you go through the eligibility criteria beforehand to avail yourself of the incentives.

Is a hot water heat pump worth it in Australia?

peak in hot water heat pump installation graph

Hot water heat pumps are one of the most effective water heating systems in Australia because they can work in both hot and freezing conditions. There has been a peak in hot water heat pump installations in Australia, where 31,094 heat pump installations took place in 2020 alone. Since heat pumps can bring down your energy consumption they are replacing the standard electric storage hot water heaters steadily and are worth investing in more than ever.


Upgrade Your Hot Water Heat Pump Today!