Hot Water System Replacement, Repairs Installation

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WHAT’S THE BEST HOT WATER SYSTEM REPLACEMENT FOR YOU?

WHAT HOT WATER SYSTEMS

ARE AVAILABLE IN SYDNEY

Hot water systems in Sydney come in two fundamental designs – ‘storage hot water system’ and ‘instantaneous hot water system’ (also known as a continuous flow hot water system). Both systems can be found using gas, electricity, solar or heat pump technology.

STORAGE HOT WATER SYSTEMS

Storage hot water systems keeps heated water in a tank until it is needed. This allows for instant hot water however it is limited by the tank’s storage capacity.

INSTANTANEOUS HOT WATER SYSTEMS

Instantaneous hot water systems heat water only as it is required. It may take a few moments to get hot, however it has an unlimited capacity and doesn’t waste energy keeping unneeded water warm.

GAS HOT WATER SYSTEMS

Are you looking to switch to Gas? A Gas hot water system has the advantage of being low maintenance. Both the tank and continuous flow systems use a gas burner. The gas burner on the tank continuously maintains the heat in the tank whilst the burner on the continuous flow system only ignites when the water is needed.

ELECTRIC HOT WATER SYSTEMS

Did you know that a large portion of the average Australians household electricity bill comes from the cost of heating water? It can be as high as 30% of your total bill! Both the tank and continuous flow system use an electric-powered element to heat water. On the storage system this sits at the base of the heater whilst in a continuous flow system the element is wrapped around the pipes to heat your water.

SOLAR HOT WATER SYSTEMS

Solar hot water systems use the sun to heat water in a tank via panels installed on your roof. If there is insufficient sun to heat the water, the system will use gas or electricity or natural gas as a substitute. These systems greatly reduce the energy bill to run, however have significantly higher upfront costs to install.

HEAT PUMP HOT WATER SYSTEMS

Heat pump hot water systems are essentially reverse cycle air conditioners that heat your water (instead of the air in your home). They are very energy efficient, using a third of the electricity that would normally take to run an electric hot water system. The reason for this is that the electricity is used to operate the heat pump and does not heat the water directly like a standard electrical hot water system. The system needs a steady stream of air to run efficiently and so needs to be installed in a well-ventilated area.

Government Rebates Are Given For

Choosing Gas Or Solar Hot Water Systems

If you change from an electric hot water system to a gas hot water system then you may be eligible for government rebates. There are even more generous government rebates if you look to install a solar-powered hot water heater or upgrade to a heat pump system.

Things to consider when choosing an electric hot water system

Electric hot water systems	Storage	Instantaneous
Cost to supply and install	Low cost	Low cost
Total cost over 15 years – purchase price plus running costs	Moderate for off-peak where the system only runs at night. Moderate off-peak tariff that allows day operation as well as night. Highest of all systems for continuous operation	High cost as they run on a continuous tariff
Location	Indoors or outdoors	Indoors or outdoors
Configuration	Stand-alone tank, floor or wall mounted, direct connection to cold water supply and your water users	Stand-alone unit; wall mounted, direct connection to cold water supply and your water users
Tank size	2 persons: 50L-80L for continuous 4 persons: 125-160L for continuous 2 persons: 160-250L for off-peak 4 persons: 250-315L for off-peak Smaller for fewer people, larger for more people	Not applicable Heater size or number of heaters needed will depend on the number of hot water outlets
Minimum standards and/or labelling	Water heater is subject to Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) Voluntary energy rating labelling by industry	No
Government incentives	None	None
Noise impact	Negligible	Negligible
Greenhouse gas emissions (assuming you are on standard grid power)	Very high for continuous operation, high for off-peak	High
Other considerations	If off-peak tariffs are not available, this may be the most expensive option over the life of the hot water system	Multiple users simultaneously can limit effectiveness
Best suited to	Small households or businesses with low hot water demand	Small households or businesses with low hot water demand

SOURCE: www.energy.nsw.gov.au/ | Hot Water Guide for Households and Businesses

Things to consider when choosing a gas hot water system

Gas hot water systems	Storage	Instantaneous
Cost to supply and install	Low cost	Low cost
Total cost over 15 years – purchase price plus running costs	Moderate cost	Moderate cost
Location	Usually outdoors for venting	Usually outdoors for venting
Configuration	Stand-alone tank; floor mounted, direct connection to gas, electricity for controls and possibly pilot light, cold water supply and your water users	Stand-alone unit; wall mounted, direct connection to gas, electricity for controls and possibly pilot light, cold water supply and your water users
Tank size	2 person: < 135L 4 persons: 135-170L Smaller for fewer people, larger for more people	Not applicable. Heater size or number of heaters needed will depend on the number of hot water outlets
Minimum standards and/or labelling	Water heater will have a Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) Voluntary energy rating labelling by industry	Water heater will have a Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) Voluntary energy rating labelling by industry
Government incentives	None	None
Noise impact	Negligible	Negligible
Greenhouse gas emissions (assuming you are on standard grid power)	Moderate due to gas consumption, currently no ‘green gas’ option	Moderate due to gas consumption, currently no ‘green gas’ option
Other considerations	If gas is not used elsewhere in the home, then there may be a cost saving by switching to or choosing an electric-powered system LPG is an option if natural gas is not available, but is likely to be much more expensive to run	Multiple users simultaneously can limit effectiveness
Best suited to	Most house and small businesses where there is a gas connection and other gas-using equipment	Most households and small businesses where there is a gas connection and other gas-using equipment

SOURCE: www.energy.nsw.gov.au/ | Hot Water Guide for Households and Businesses

Things to consider when choosing a heat pump or solar hot water system

Heat pump and solar hot water systems	Heat pump	Solar hot water
Cost to supply and install	High	Typically, the highest cost water heater
Total cost over 15 years – purchase price plus running costs	Moderate cost, comparable to gas and solar hot water in many cases	Often the lowest cost system overall due to low running costs
Location	Outdoors	Outdoors
Configuration	May be a single unit with integrated heat pump and storage tank or separate units, typically ground mounted	Roof mounted panels, roof for hot water storage in a thermosiphon system, ground mounted storage tank for split systems. Electric or gas boost connected to energy supply
Tank size	2 persons: < 270L 4 persons: 270-315L Smaller for fewer people, larger for more people	2 persons: 180 L 4 persons: 300-360L Smaller for fewer people, larger for more people
Minimum standards and/or labelling	None at present	None at present for solar components. Storage tanks for gas-boosted systems must have an efficiency label
Government incentives	Yes, eligible for Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs) as an upfront rebate	Yes, eligible for Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs) as an upfront rebate
Noise impact	Low, compressor and fan on the heat pump are similar to an air conditioner	Negligible
Greenhouse gas emissions (assuming you are on standard grid power)	Low as the heat pump extracts renewable energy (heat) from surrounding air to heat water	Low to very low depending on the location. Carbon emissions are only associated with operation of the gas or electric boost.
Other considerations	Operation in warmer climates and in daytime maximises carbon savings. Efficiency is reduced in colder regions and at night Heat pumps that use carbon dioxide (CO2) as a refrigerant produce even more greenhouse gas savings	Around 4 m2 is needed for a 4- person house, more if the orientation and shading limit the effectiveness of the panels
Best suited to	Medium to large households	For most households this may be the cheapest system in the long term

SOURCE: www.energy.nsw.gov.au/ | Hot Water Guide for Households and Businesses

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