New home build: Heat pump HWS instead of Rainwater tank

If you provide documentation to your building surveyor that a heat pump can outperform a solar HWS, he should sign off on a heat pump. Also accessing the BOM long term weather records of cloudy and rain days per year will help.

If you also have PV supplying the heat pump, you should be ok.

See VBA documentation below.

https://www.vba.vic.gov.au/__data/asset ... Nov-22.pdf

There is a difference in meaning between "available" and "connected" but the whole thing is ridiculous as the Victorian regulations bizzarely preference gas, not electricity.

My thoughts are that "available" generally means that the gas supply infrastructure exists and can be accessed while "connected" obviously means that the gas supply is physically connected to the property.

It's a bit like the interpretation between "should" and "shall" in many regulations and elsewhere where the bureaucrats who write the regulations seem to not know the difference nor the consequences of their ignorance.

The building surveyor is the one who signs off and who will know, from practical experience, the interpretational liberties. In all likelyhood, the interpretation is carte blanche which makes a mockery of the current antiquated (an oxymoron lol) regulations.

A late thought:

If push comes to shove, it could be argued that the cost of connecting to the "available" gas supply is not financially viable, therefore not considered "available" in practical terms.

The reason for the gas or electricity boosting SWH in Melbourne is because of the high number of cloudy days. I would think that would affect a SWH moreso than a heat pump. If so, it should present a strong case for having a heat pump approved.

I am not sure why the thread is headed- "New home build: Heat pump HWS instead of Rainwater tank". Shouldn't you be comparing a heat pump to SWH in order to have a heat pump approved? Have you been refused permission to have an electric boosted SWH?

The Victorian pro gas regulatory mandate is flawed.

https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/new-vict ... ctric-2024

It always astounded me that PV systems were not included in the 6 star standard.

Below is notice of discussion about including heat pumps.

https://www.energy.nsw.gov.au/sites/def ... tation.pdf

The next doc should interest you as it states on page 2 "where a reticulated gas supply is available for connection"

https://www.vba.vic.gov.au/__data/asset ... y-2024.pdf

Also at the bottom of page 4...

...and from 28 November 2023 a heat pump water heater, gas boosted solar water heater or electric boosted solar water heater can be installed in a new Class 1 dwelling where reticulated natural gas supply is available for connection.

At the start, I tried to find a later doc instead of the one I first posted but couldn't find one. I'll have another look later for a clean skin when I have time.