Hi looking for advice on hot water systems for a new build.
We’re building in a semirural area and planning to have a fully electric hws, assuming LPG would be too expensive to run and because we’re installing PV solar panels on the roof.
Builder has come back with a cost of $3,600 for a Dux Heat Pump hws (which has bad consumer reviews on Product Review) while an LPG gas hws is no additional cost.
If we go down the LPG route we run the risk of increasing gas prices in the future.
Any advice from people in a similar situation?
Hot water systems? Is LPG an affordable option?
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LPG is the most expensive way to heat anything.
For a new house I would be going for a heat pump, but probably not Dux.
For some independent advice check out Renew https://renew.org.au/renew-magazine/buy ... ers-guide/
For a new house I would be going for a heat pump, but probably not Dux.
For some independent advice check out Renew https://renew.org.au/renew-magazine/buy ... ers-guide/
LPG is the most expensive way to heat anything.
For a new house I would be going for a heat pump, but probably not Dux.
For some independent advice check out Renew https://renew.org.au/renew-magazine/buy ... ers-guide/
For a new house I would be going for a heat pump, but probably not Dux.
For some independent advice check out Renew https://renew.org.au/renew-magazine/buy ... ers-guide/
Thanks heaps 😀
I second bashworth.
We have just helped parent in laws get rid of theirs, they are definitely not cheap to run. You can get heat pumps cheap now, I have a midea 280L (pretty cheap - hear good things about sanden but they are expensive, I've taken a punt) and solar panels (not midea), it runs during the day and unless its very cloudy I don't see any import when its running, I probably could have got away with the smaller model too as we have found we don't use too much (family of 4), just depends how much hot water you use. It doesn't seem to run too long - maybe an hr or two most days and its pretty quiet (def can't hear inside etc).
Also get a unit that you can control when it runs easily - for example many systems have an automatic disinfect run (cannot stop this its to kill any nasties), you want to modify the clock by 12 hrs to make sure that runs during sunlight hours also.
We have just helped parent in laws get rid of theirs, they are definitely not cheap to run. You can get heat pumps cheap now, I have a midea 280L (pretty cheap - hear good things about sanden but they are expensive, I've taken a punt) and solar panels (not midea), it runs during the day and unless its very cloudy I don't see any import when its running, I probably could have got away with the smaller model too as we have found we don't use too much (family of 4), just depends how much hot water you use. It doesn't seem to run too long - maybe an hr or two most days and its pretty quiet (def can't hear inside etc).
Also get a unit that you can control when it runs easily - for example many systems have an automatic disinfect run (cannot stop this its to kill any nasties), you want to modify the clock by 12 hrs to make sure that runs during sunlight hours also.
I second bashworth.
We have just helped parent in laws get rid of theirs, they are definitely not cheap to run. You can get heat pumps cheap now, I have a midea 280L (pretty cheap - hear good things about sanden but they are expensive, I've taken a punt) and solar panels (not midea), it runs during the day and unless its very cloudy I don't see any import when its running, I probably could have got away with the smaller model too as we have found we don't use too much (family of 4), just depends how much hot water you use. It doesn't seem to run too long - maybe an hr or two most days and its pretty quiet (def can't hear inside etc).
Also get a unit that you can control when it runs easily - for example many systems have an automatic disinfect run (cannot stop this its to kill any nasties), you want to modify the clock by 12 hrs to make sure that runs during sunlight hours also.
We have just helped parent in laws get rid of theirs, they are definitely not cheap to run. You can get heat pumps cheap now, I have a midea 280L (pretty cheap - hear good things about sanden but they are expensive, I've taken a punt) and solar panels (not midea), it runs during the day and unless its very cloudy I don't see any import when its running, I probably could have got away with the smaller model too as we have found we don't use too much (family of 4), just depends how much hot water you use. It doesn't seem to run too long - maybe an hr or two most days and its pretty quiet (def can't hear inside etc).
Also get a unit that you can control when it runs easily - for example many systems have an automatic disinfect run (cannot stop this its to kill any nasties), you want to modify the clock by 12 hrs to make sure that runs during sunlight hours also.
I should say that disinfect does run for several hours, and I've not yet been through a winter so it could run a lot longer and be a bit less efficient then too (obviously if you use alot more water it will too) I would still opt to run it during the day if you have any solar as it will be most efficient when the air is warmest...
I second bashworth.
We have just helped parent in laws get rid of theirs, they are definitely not cheap to run. You can get heat pumps cheap now, I have a midea 280L (pretty cheap - hear good things about sanden but they are expensive, I've taken a punt) and solar panels (not midea), it runs during the day and unless its very cloudy I don't see any import when its running, I probably could have got away with the smaller model too as we have found we don't use too much (family of 4), just depends how much hot water you use. It doesn't seem to run too long - maybe an hr or two most days and its pretty quiet (def can't hear inside etc).
Also get a unit that you can control when it runs easily - for example many systems have an automatic disinfect run (cannot stop this its to kill any nasties), you want to modify the clock by 12 hrs to make sure that runs during sunlight hours also.
We have just helped parent in laws get rid of theirs, they are definitely not cheap to run. You can get heat pumps cheap now, I have a midea 280L (pretty cheap - hear good things about sanden but they are expensive, I've taken a punt) and solar panels (not midea), it runs during the day and unless its very cloudy I don't see any import when its running, I probably could have got away with the smaller model too as we have found we don't use too much (family of 4), just depends how much hot water you use. It doesn't seem to run too long - maybe an hr or two most days and its pretty quiet (def can't hear inside etc).
Also get a unit that you can control when it runs easily - for example many systems have an automatic disinfect run (cannot stop this its to kill any nasties), you want to modify the clock by 12 hrs to make sure that runs during sunlight hours also.
I should say that disinfect does run for several hours, and I've not yet been through a winter so it could run a lot longer and be a bit less efficient then too (obviously if you use alot more water it will too) I would still opt to run it during the day if you have any solar as it will be most efficient when the air is warmest...
Cheers for that. We have decided not to go with LPG and will look at the heat pump option further, although was unaware of the disinfecting function, or just a normal resistive electric HWS which, as we will have a 6.2kw solar system, should be cost effective to run.
Hi looking for advice on hot water systems for a new build.
We’re building in a semirural area and planning to have a fully electric hws, assuming LPG would be too expensive to run and because we’re installing PV solar panels on the roof.
Builder has come back with a cost of $3,600 for a Dux Heat Pump hws (which has bad consumer reviews on Product Review) while an LPG gas hws is no additional cost.
If we go down the LPG route we run the risk of increasing gas prices in the future.
Any advice from people in a similar situation?
We’re building in a semirural area and planning to have a fully electric hws, assuming LPG would be too expensive to run and because we’re installing PV solar panels on the roof.
Builder has come back with a cost of $3,600 for a Dux Heat Pump hws (which has bad consumer reviews on Product Review) while an LPG gas hws is no additional cost.
If we go down the LPG route we run the risk of increasing gas prices in the future.
Any advice from people in a similar situation?
We've got a gas HWS. Our bill is approx. $90 per 2 months. About $1.50/day.
By LPG do you mean you're going to have to run off bottles?
Hi looking for advice on hot water systems for a new build.
We’re building in a semirural area and planning to have a fully electric hws, assuming LPG would be too expensive to run and because we’re installing PV solar panels on the roof.
Builder has come back with a cost of $3,600 for a Dux Heat Pump hws (which has bad consumer reviews on Product Review) while an LPG gas hws is no additional cost.
If we go down the LPG route we run the risk of increasing gas prices in the future.
Any advice from people in a similar situation?
We’re building in a semirural area and planning to have a fully electric hws, assuming LPG would be too expensive to run and because we’re installing PV solar panels on the roof.
Builder has come back with a cost of $3,600 for a Dux Heat Pump hws (which has bad consumer reviews on Product Review) while an LPG gas hws is no additional cost.
If we go down the LPG route we run the risk of increasing gas prices in the future.
Any advice from people in a similar situation?
We've got a gas HWS. Our bill is approx. $90 per 2 months. About $1.50/day.
By LPG do you mean you're going to have to run off bottles?
If we go with the gas HWS then no option but to run off LPG bottles as there is no mains gas supply in the rural area we are building.
At this stage we expect the builder will do the plumbing for electric hws and we will install the tank and connect it after handover.
Agree with other posters. Gas is becoming an expensive way to heat water, & it's not an environmentally friendly option. LPG is the most expensive option of all!
Heat pumps are a great option, though they are expensive & of variable quality (Sanden is a very good one).
But as you'll have a large PV system, another option would be to install a simple electric hot water system. This can be heated in the day for free using your solar PV. Depending on where you're located, your 6.2kW PV system should average around 25kWh a day, more in summer, less in winter. An electric HWS will use less than half of this.
The best way to do this is to have a relay installed, that sends any excess solar PV production to the electric HWS.
Fronius, regarded as the best (string) solar PV inverter, has a hot water relay, that when installed with their smart meter, will do exactly this.
Another option is to put your HWS on a timer, turning on in the middle of the day, when your solar PV is likely to be at maximum. The problem with this approach is that on cloudy or rainy days you may end up importing expensive (peak) electricity.
So I'd recommend you look at a Fronius inverter for your solar PV, & include the smart meter & hot water relay. This seems like the best, affordable approach.
With either the timer or hot water relay option it's also a good idea to reduce the size of the electric element in you HWS, to either 2.4 or 1.8kW, which is a cheap job. This means that your HWS will use less electricity at any one time, but will be heated over a longer period. Reducing the chances of importing electricity, & allowing the relay to send electricity to the HWS at lower levels of sunlight.
Have a look at the Whirlpool Green Tech forums. There's plenty of threads discussing this, with many people advocating the Fronius hot water relay approach.
https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/143
Heat pumps are a great option, though they are expensive & of variable quality (Sanden is a very good one).
But as you'll have a large PV system, another option would be to install a simple electric hot water system. This can be heated in the day for free using your solar PV. Depending on where you're located, your 6.2kW PV system should average around 25kWh a day, more in summer, less in winter. An electric HWS will use less than half of this.
The best way to do this is to have a relay installed, that sends any excess solar PV production to the electric HWS.
Fronius, regarded as the best (string) solar PV inverter, has a hot water relay, that when installed with their smart meter, will do exactly this.
Another option is to put your HWS on a timer, turning on in the middle of the day, when your solar PV is likely to be at maximum. The problem with this approach is that on cloudy or rainy days you may end up importing expensive (peak) electricity.
So I'd recommend you look at a Fronius inverter for your solar PV, & include the smart meter & hot water relay. This seems like the best, affordable approach.
With either the timer or hot water relay option it's also a good idea to reduce the size of the electric element in you HWS, to either 2.4 or 1.8kW, which is a cheap job. This means that your HWS will use less electricity at any one time, but will be heated over a longer period. Reducing the chances of importing electricity, & allowing the relay to send electricity to the HWS at lower levels of sunlight.
Have a look at the Whirlpool Green Tech forums. There's plenty of threads discussing this, with many people advocating the Fronius hot water relay approach.
https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/143
Agree with other posters. Gas is becoming an expensive way to heat water, & it's not an environmentally friendly option. LPG is the most expensive option of all!
Heat pumps are a great option, though they are expensive & of variable quality (Sanden is a very good one).
But as you'll have a large PV system, another option would be to install a simple electric hot water system. This can be heated in the day for free using your solar PV. Depending on where you're located, your 6.2kW PV system should average around 25kWh a day, more in summer, less in winter. An electric HWS will use less than half of this.
The best way to do this is to have a relay installed, that sends any excess solar PV production to the electric HWS.
Fronius, regarded as the best (string) solar PV inverter, has a hot water relay, that when installed with their smart meter, will do exactly this.
Another option is to put your HWS on a timer, turning on in the middle of the day, when your solar PV is likely to be at maximum. The problem with this approach is that on cloudy or rainy days you may end up importing expensive (peak) electricity.
So I'd recommend you look at a Fronius inverter for your solar PV, & include the smart meter & hot water relay. This seems like the best, affordable approach.
With either the timer or hot water relay option it's also a good idea to reduce the size of the electric element in you HWS, to either 2.4 or 1.8kW, which is a cheap job. This means that your HWS will use less electricity at any one time, but will be heated over a longer period. Reducing the chances of importing electricity, & allowing the relay to send electricity to the HWS at lower levels of sunlight.
Have a look at the Whirlpool Green Tech forums. There's plenty of threads discussing this, with many people advocating the Fronius hot water relay approach.
https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/143
Heat pumps are a great option, though they are expensive & of variable quality (Sanden is a very good one).
But as you'll have a large PV system, another option would be to install a simple electric hot water system. This can be heated in the day for free using your solar PV. Depending on where you're located, your 6.2kW PV system should average around 25kWh a day, more in summer, less in winter. An electric HWS will use less than half of this.
The best way to do this is to have a relay installed, that sends any excess solar PV production to the electric HWS.
Fronius, regarded as the best (string) solar PV inverter, has a hot water relay, that when installed with their smart meter, will do exactly this.
Another option is to put your HWS on a timer, turning on in the middle of the day, when your solar PV is likely to be at maximum. The problem with this approach is that on cloudy or rainy days you may end up importing expensive (peak) electricity.
So I'd recommend you look at a Fronius inverter for your solar PV, & include the smart meter & hot water relay. This seems like the best, affordable approach.
With either the timer or hot water relay option it's also a good idea to reduce the size of the electric element in you HWS, to either 2.4 or 1.8kW, which is a cheap job. This means that your HWS will use less electricity at any one time, but will be heated over a longer period. Reducing the chances of importing electricity, & allowing the relay to send electricity to the HWS at lower levels of sunlight.
Have a look at the Whirlpool Green Tech forums. There's plenty of threads discussing this, with many people advocating the Fronius hot water relay approach.
https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/143
Thx for your advice, makes good sense. As it happens we had LG solar PV panels and Fronius inverter at our last house and will probably run with the same system for the new build.
Unfortunately we have now discovered that the heat pump system is the only viable option for us. We live in SA and the government apparently implemented strict new planning requirements for the installation of low emission hot water services on all new houses, such that electric hot water services are no longer permitted. (!!!!)
So looks like the heat pump is the only way to go, either the Midea or the more expensive Standen. I’m not sure whether this is relatively new technology, but from the online consumer reviews I have been reading it seems that none of the current heat pump systems are 100% reliable, that’s Rinnai, Rheem, Bosch, Midea and even Standen.
It’s quite a big $ outlay and we need to get it right. 🤔
Agree with other posters. Gas is becoming an expensive way to heat water, & it's not an environmentally friendly option. LPG is the most expensive option of all!
Heat pumps are a great option, though they are expensive & of variable quality (Sanden is a very good one).
But as you'll have a large PV system, another option would be to install a simple electric hot water system. This can be heated in the day for free using your solar PV. Depending on where you're located, your 6.2kW PV system should average around 25kWh a day, more in summer, less in winter. An electric HWS will use less than half of this.
The best way to do this is to have a relay installed, that sends any excess solar PV production to the electric HWS.
Fronius, regarded as the best (string) solar PV inverter, has a hot water relay, that when installed with their smart meter, will do exactly this.
Another option is to put your HWS on a timer, turning on in the middle of the day, when your solar PV is likely to be at maximum. The problem with this approach is that on cloudy or rainy days you may end up importing expensive (peak) electricity.
So I'd recommend you look at a Fronius inverter for your solar PV, & include the smart meter & hot water relay. This seems like the best, affordable approach.
With either the timer or hot water relay option it's also a good idea to reduce the size of the electric element in you HWS, to either 2.4 or 1.8kW, which is a cheap job. This means that your HWS will use less electricity at any one time, but will be heated over a longer period. Reducing the chances of importing electricity, & allowing the relay to send electricity to the HWS at lower levels of sunlight.
Have a look at the Whirlpool Green Tech forums. There's plenty of threads discussing this, with many people advocating the Fronius hot water relay approach.
https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/143
Heat pumps are a great option, though they are expensive & of variable quality (Sanden is a very good one).
But as you'll have a large PV system, another option would be to install a simple electric hot water system. This can be heated in the day for free using your solar PV. Depending on where you're located, your 6.2kW PV system should average around 25kWh a day, more in summer, less in winter. An electric HWS will use less than half of this.
The best way to do this is to have a relay installed, that sends any excess solar PV production to the electric HWS.
Fronius, regarded as the best (string) solar PV inverter, has a hot water relay, that when installed with their smart meter, will do exactly this.
Another option is to put your HWS on a timer, turning on in the middle of the day, when your solar PV is likely to be at maximum. The problem with this approach is that on cloudy or rainy days you may end up importing expensive (peak) electricity.
So I'd recommend you look at a Fronius inverter for your solar PV, & include the smart meter & hot water relay. This seems like the best, affordable approach.
With either the timer or hot water relay option it's also a good idea to reduce the size of the electric element in you HWS, to either 2.4 or 1.8kW, which is a cheap job. This means that your HWS will use less electricity at any one time, but will be heated over a longer period. Reducing the chances of importing electricity, & allowing the relay to send electricity to the HWS at lower levels of sunlight.
Have a look at the Whirlpool Green Tech forums. There's plenty of threads discussing this, with many people advocating the Fronius hot water relay approach.
https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum/143
Thx for your advice, makes good sense. As it happens we had LG solar PV panels and Fronius inverter at our last house and will probably run with the same system for the new build.
Unfortunately we have now discovered that the heat pump system is the only viable option for us. We live in SA and the government apparently implemented strict new planning requirements for the installation of low emission hot water services on all new houses, such that electric hot water services are no longer permitted. (!!!!)
So looks like the heat pump is the only way to go, either the Midea or the more expensive Standen. I’m not sure whether this is relatively new technology, but from the online consumer reviews I have been reading it seems that none of the current heat pump systems are 100% reliable, that’s Rinnai, Rheem, Bosch, Midea and even Standen.
It’s quite a big $ outlay and we need to get it right. 🤔
That’s Sanden, not Standen.
Yeah, I had heard there was legislation coming in banning electric HWS's. I think I'd also read some discussions about exempting HWS's connected to solar PV from this ban.
Though I'm not exactly sure what I'd read.
I'd definitely ask this question on the Green Tech Forum I linked to above. There's definitely threads the discussing connecting electric HWS's to solar PV.
Though I'm not exactly sure what I'd read.
I'd definitely ask this question on the Green Tech Forum I linked to above. There's definitely threads the discussing connecting electric HWS's to solar PV.
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