Hot water heat pumps are giving New Zealand residents a more sustainable and efficient way to heat their water. By taking heat from the surrounding air, a hot water heat pump need less energy to create hot water than traditional heaters. If you’ve been wondering ‘Are hot water heat pumps worth it?’, allow us to answer your question with a resounding yes.

How do they work?

Put simply, and as touched on above, hot water heat pumps absorb heat from the air around them. This heat is then transferred from the pump to a refrigerant fluid where it evaporates and turns into a gas. After this happens, the temperature of the refrigerant increases and so transfers heat to a heat exchanger which finally passes to the water. The condensation process will then occur and the whole process can start again.

What does this mean for the future?

Let’s work it out in terms of efficiency. The best way to work out the efficiency is to look at something called the Coefficient of Performance (essentially the ratio of how much useful heat it produces to the power input). The higher the number, the more efficient.

We already know that heat is extracted from the air instead of through gas or electricity. This makes a huge difference. It’s generally accepted that they have a COP approximately 4 times higher than a standard electric water heater! Not only is this good for you and your energy bill, but it’s also good for New Zealand  and the world.

Advantages:

• They are effective in lower temperatures, too. 
• With adequate care, they have a very long lifespan of 15years+.
• They use less electricity than traditional hot water systems.
• They produce fewer greenhouse gases than traditional water heating systems. 
• Heat pump hot water systems can be connected to aexisting solar system.

Hopefully, we’ve left you with no need to wonder anymore ‘Are hot water pumps any good?’.

If you’re ready to make the switch, save money and help make a difference in the world, get in touch and learn more with A2W.