Heat Pump Vrs Solar Hot Water
What is better? A Heat Pump or Solar Hot Water?
With the popularity of heats pump hot water systems and energy effiecient options consumers are often confused as to which is the better option. As experts in supplied and installing both we are going to breakdown the advantageous of both and how you should make that decision.
It should be noted that recently with a the heavy promotion of heat pumps many people assume that heat pumps are better value than a solar hot water system.
This is certainly not always the case.
Heat Pumps
Heat pumps are certainly the cheaper option upfront, which is great if your counting pennies, only now marginally more expensive than more standard electric hot water systems. Different brands of heat pump vary in power savings normally between 50 to 70% better than a standard electric system. Price and efficiency are generally the two biggest advantageous of heat pumps. Heat pumps can come in different sizes and can produce a lot of hot water. They also have a backup electri element to boost production when needed.
The Downside of Heat Pumps
Heat pumps are very complex systems with lots of moving parts, this means they do have more things that can go wrong. Also many plumbers and electricians are not experienced in fixing them being that they are solar ralted, involve plumbing, electrical and a built in air conditioning compressor. This means getting things fixed could be tricky or more expensive.Also heat pumps tend to last about 7 years, which is a pretty short shelf life even compared to electric systems. Lastly the warranty can be complex and issues might not be covered considering all the different arts involved.
Solar Hot Water
Solar hot water systems are more energy efficient with savings as high as 90%, also a good quality maintained system might last 15 to 20 years. If you get a stainless steel system tank the longivity of the system tends be be much longer. The tank can be installed on the roof or on the ground, roof mounted tanks are more efficient and reliable as they do not require a pump to get water up to the panels.The warranty tens to be longer as the systems are more robust.
The Downside of Solar Hot Water
Solar Hot Water tends to be more expensive, often $2000 to $4000 more in cost. If you have issues repairs may need to be done on your roof, replacing a system or installing it normally requires a crane for safe installation. If your not uses enough hot water the system may over produce and dump the excess hot water.
The Conclusion
If you have 3 or less users, plan to stay less than 7 years or have a restricted upfront budget then a heat pump is a great option. If you have a larger budget, want it for over a decade or have 4 plus people in the house then Solar Hot Water is better value.
With over 23 years in business we have done the research to find the best heat pump or solar hot water systems. Unlike many, Todd's plumbers, electricians & aircon experts are experts in installing and repair heat pumps and solar hot water systems.
