Help me choose a heat pump

[sels1]

I was told to bypass heat pumps and go for a HRV system. Anyone got comments (the Poms maybe... I was told they are popular over there )

Heat pumps use a mechanical refrigeration process to deliver low cost heating in winter and cooling in summer as well as air filtration and circulation. The amount of circulation depends on type of system - ducted or freestanding split-system.

HRV will not give you all these features - you get what you pay for. But it is really up to what you want and what your application is. (And how much you want to spend)

And perhaps the poms dont require any real cooling in their summers

[Skunk]

HRV will not give you all these features - you get what you pay for. But it is really up to what you want and what your application is. (And how much you want to spend)

Umm, yeah I know the mechanical differences, it's the real world differences I want to know.
Cheers for the reply (I should be clearer - but I know what I mean)

[thermodix]

I think if you doesn't care with the mechanical things then just with the prices.... take a look at here guys.... http://www.heat-pump-reviews.com/heat-pump-prices.html some heap pump reviews guys... jope this help you a little guys....



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Programmable Thermostats

[98tls]

Have a Panasonic 6.5 best thing ive ever done,most important to get the right size,to small just causes endless problems.

[JacksColdSweat]

I was told to bypass heat pumps and go for a HRV system. Anyone got comments (the Poms maybe... I was told they are popular over there )

I have an answer to this below...

We have a Mitsi 6.5KW in our 90sqm and it warms the entire house because we placed it right

We set it to 20 degrees in winter and it warms the lounge to 20 and the bedrooms to 19.

Our house has Pink Batts 3.2s in the ceiling and nothing in the walls. Nothing under the floor

More important than noise is the lowest operating temperature and where you place the outside units. If you place it on the Southern side of the house it will be colder than the outside temperature and your unit will turn off regularly to defrost itself - especially in the morning

Our unit works down to -15C but a LOT of them don't - some don't work below +10C - so your heat pump will spend a lot of time on the coldest days defrosting itself - and when it's defrosting it can't heat

Check the lowest operating temperature.

The noise is about as loud as a fan on medium setting when the heat pump is pumping full speed - doesn't bother us at all

HRVs and the like only work:
1) If you have a north facing house
2) You have a BIG roof cavity with suitable materials on the roof for containing heat within
3) you are prone to damp and mildew

I don't recommend them - they are not even close to the league a heat pump is in

We got the 6.5Kw from Hometech www.hometech.co.nz - I totally recommend them - they were excellent and did a nice install - very discreet and properly weather proofed since they have to drill thru your wall

it cost $3300 for a 6.5KW Mitsi - we're delighted - best money ever spent

Our house was 4 degrees inside the day it was installed - 1.5 hours later it was 16 degrees everywhere - when we added the pink batts a year later we can now keep it at an even 19 and the air is dry

Heat Pumps are the ducks nuts!

[yungatart]

We have a Daikin. It is brilliant. Quick clean and quiet, both inside and out. We never hear it.
Get advice from a specialist as to the best size and location for your needs.

[Dooly]

We have a Daiken unit. Can't recall the size but we went to a bigger unit than was needed. More is better!!!

Its great as I programme it to come on about 2pm in Winter so the house is warm when we walk in after work.

I use the fire in the weekend when home but the heat pump is good for quick heat.

[JacksColdSweat]

They (Heat Pumps) are not cheap to run

The marketing bollocks of "$4 heating for $1 power" is marketing hype which is intended to mislead you

The cost of our power went up 4 times in one year so it's hard for me to know exactly what it cost (I don't count units) but I would estimate we spend around $65 more per month in winter to warm the house

We were spending around $30 on gas heating which only warmed a section of the lounge - so I really don't care about the extra expenditure since the house is now dry and warm

I really don't care about the extra cost - I just can't believe how well these things work and I'm delighted with the result - I never knew a NZ house could be so warm...

[Tank]

We put one in last week.

Its a Dakin.

The level of professionalism between Dakin and Fujitsi / Mitsi was worlds apart.

Couldn't recommend them strongly enough.

Very quite, 6kw unit in lounge, $4.5k (harder then norm install)

[Finn]

I was told to bypass heat pumps and go for a HRV system. Anyone got comments (the Poms maybe... I was told they are popular over there )

HRV systems take advantage of poorly built NZ homes by exchanging air between paper thin walls and shanty town roofs. Sure, it can change the temperature by a degree or two and the same time circulate moisture and mold, but in short, nothing will beat a heat pump.

[Max Preload]

HRVs and the like only work:
1) If you have a north facing house
2) You have a BIG roof cavity with suitable materials on the roof for containing heat within
3) you are prone to damp and mildew

I don't recommend them - they are not even close to the league a heat pump is in.

Except maybe in capital cost...

The marketing bollocks of "$4 heating for $1 power" is marketing hype which is intended to mislead you.

When is marketing ever anything but? "15-50% off everything in store!" ring a bell? How about "Up to 50% cheaper than other brands!"?

But you're correct. The advertised CoP of a heat pump is difficult to achieve in anything but ideal conditions. One of the key conditions for ideal operation are a lowest temperature differential between inside and outside.

That said, they're never going to be anywhere near as bad as an electric heater which works in the high 90% range of efficiency. You mentioned you're now maintaining a steady temperature in your home - to do that with other methods of heating would cost you a hell of a lot more.

[Winston001]

HRV systems take advantage of poorly built NZ homes by exchanging air between paper thin walls and shanty town roofs. Sure, it can change the temperature by a degree or two and and the same time circulate moisture and mold, but in short, nothing will beat a heat pump.

Agreed. My parents installed an HRV despite my misgivings and it made no noticeable difference at all. Tile roof with lots of air circulation, there was never going to be much warm air to pump back into the house. Even the addition of a heater in the ducting made no difference.

An HRV will work properly in the right type of house but the sellers don't care about that.

Heatpump beats it hands down.

[JacksColdSweat]

Except maybe in capital cost...

...

That said, they're never going to be anywhere near as bad as an electric heater which works in the high 90% range of efficiency. You mentioned you're now maintaining a steady temperature in your home - to do that with other methods of heating would cost you a hell of a lot more.

Actually my point around the heat pump and HRVs still stands

An HRV is cheaper to install - but it doesn't (really) heat your home - it dries it - hence my saying they are not in the same league

You get a degree or two more warmth - not the change we got from 4 degrees inside one morning to 16 an hour and a half later (yes, I'm so anal I watched the thermometer)

I agree with you totally - traditional resistance heaters are SHOCKINGLY expensive for no real gain and gas heaters just pump more moisture in

As I said before - ours costs us around $65 per month in winter and I have no regrets - the whole house is warm and dry - and it's a crappy 1979 New Zealand masterpiece of thin fibrelite, corrugated iron and MDF floors...

[Skyryder]

Mitsibishi.

Skyryder

[Burtha]

Hiya
When we bought our place there was already a new fujistu in it. We're in Nelson and although pump only goes down to 18 degrees thats low enough for me and I quite a fussy pots so 15 would be ample.

Ours is big, isnt too loud, outside is well inside boundary so no probs there, inside is quite breezy but we can set fan direction, hot / cold, humidity, etc. Although we have it on auto most of the time having a full range of options is usefull esp if the house gets steamy, or your trying to dry clothes & stuff.

Tis also VERY economical.