It’s important to take the size of the area to be heated into account when choosing a heat pump because you need to install the correct-size unit for best results.
Daylight saving and summer skies are just a distant memory now and winter’s stealing in with its icy blasts and cool damp conditions so this is a good time to make sure that your home is comfortable and cosy, if you haven’t already done so.
Most of us know by now that unflued gas heaters cause condensation and pose health and fire risks. Electric bar and fan heaters often use large amounts of electricity to heat a relatively small space and open fireplaces are now banned or discouraged in most regions.
More homeowners are tending towards installing heat pumps for the simple reason that they’ve been firmly proven to be very effective and energy-efficient.
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Interestingly, the idea of heat pumps has been around for nearly 200 years as a scientific concept — based upon the fact that heat energy naturally transfers from warm to cold places, but it wasn’t until the mid-twentieth century that serious production began.
Essentially, heat pumps work by reversing that natural process of thermal energy movement. They take air from outside the property, then push it back in. In engineering terms it’s a bit like a fridge — but in reverse, and two coils — one internal and one at the exterior of your home, draw warmth from outside and transfer it to the space you’re heating.
It’s important to take the size of the area to be heated into account when choosing a heat pump because you need to install the correct-size unit for best results. ECCA and Consumer both offer expert independent advice, making it easy to do your homework, before approaching a salesperson, whose suggestions might not be impartial. EECA’s star rating system is another helpful tool at your disposal.
You’ll need to ensure that the size and capacity of the heat pump is appropriate for the local climate too. What’s adequate in Auckland may not work nearly as well in Invercargill.
The trick to making the most of your heat pump lies in learning how to use it properly and use all of its features — including the timer to regulate the heating or cooling functions easily, rather than leaving it going all day when you’re not there.
Before you have a heat pump installed it’s wise to check that you have sufficient levels of insulation in the ceiling above and the floor below it. The heat that’s generated will leave a room quickly if there are ways for it to escape, thus diminishing the heat pump’s effectiveness. This in turn means more energy will be used and therefore running costs will rise.
According to ECCA, single split systems are the most common heat pumps in New Zealand, with one unit inside and another outside. As a rule this is sufficient for a single room, but if you choose a multi-split system with more than one indoor unit connected to a single unit outside, you’ll be able to heat more than one room.
If you want your heat pump to provide warmth throughout all of your home a ducted system might be what you need. There’s still the one outdoor unit but there are also ducting tubes, which distribute the heat to multiple rooms.
In terms of cost, heat pumps can appear to be rather pricey, especially once you get into ducted systems but it’s important to weigh up the benefits you’ll be getting and the overall savings you’ll make, in the form of significantly lower power bills.
A wall-mounted single system to heat one small room should start around the $2000 mark, including installation, going up to around $2500 for a larger space. If you have an open-plan home with a combined kitchen, dining and living area you’ll need a more powerful unit and could be looking at somewhere between $3000 and $4500.
Depending on the size of your house and the number of rooms you want to heat, the price of a ducted heat pump system could be around $10,000, but as with everything, it makes sense to shop around and get several quotes to compare.
One of the best things about modern heat pumps, apart from the fact they’re no longer noisy, is that they are built to last and the technology that’s used is relatively simple so there’s not much that can go wrong.
Most come with a five-year guarantee but you can reasonably expect them to last many years longer.
While early versions of the interior unit were a bit large and clunky, these days modern units are perfectly streamlined, sleek and stylish and blend effortlessly into your decor. And don’t forget that a heat pump can also be used to keep it cool in summer.
One last thing to remember is that it’s vital to keep your heat pump’s filters clean for optimum performance all through the year.
- New Zealand Herald