Hot water heat pumps vs Gas central heating

1/5/2020

In winter, we’re always looking for creative ways to stay warm. What’s the best way to heat your home without breaking the bank? Should you go with gas central heating, or could a hot water heat pump be the answer?

We’ll take a close look at hot water heat pumps and gas central heating for New Zealand homes to help you make a decision.

What is gas central heating?

Gas central heating uses LPG gas kept in large canisters on the outside of your home to heat a boiler full of water. The hot water travels to hot-water radiators that give off heat in each room. As the water circulates around your home, it needs to be heated again by moving through the boiler.

What is a hot water heat pump?

If you live in Christchurch, there’s a good chance you have seen a heat pump before. They’re widely recommended around New Zealand as an energy efficient way of heating and cooling a room.

A hot water heat pump uses the same technology to absorb heat from the surrounding air and transfers it into an Ecodan hot water system which warms the water.

Like the gas central heating system, the water can then flow into radiators to heat each room. Alternatively, your Ecodan hot water system could be hidden under your floor, giving off a radiant heat around your home.

Is gas central heating or a hot water heat pump more energy efficient?

The way you measure how energy efficient any source of heating is called the Coefficient of Performance or COP. Basically, how much power does the heater need to consume to put out a certain level of heat. Obviously, the more energy efficient central heating system is one that requires little power but has a large heat output.

Most gas central heating systems burn gas to heat elements that warm up air or water as they pass over those elements. Some of those gas central heating systems are more energy efficient than others, even within the same company. You may be forced to choose a less energy efficient gas central heating system based on your budget or the layout of your house.

One reason heat pumps are much more energy efficient than other forms of heating is that they don’t use electricity to heat an element that is then used to heat something else. Instead, heat pumps transfer energy, absorbing heat from the outside air and moving it into your home.

That means for every 1 kiloWatt (kW) of power your Ecodan hot water heat pump uses, you can enjoy an average of 3.2kW of heat in return. What an investment.

Compared to typical gas central heating systems with higher running costs and inefficient COPs as low as 0.82, the Mitsubishi Electric Ecodan Hot Water Heat Pump is a much more energy efficient alternative.

Can you heat water with gas central heating?

With hot water cylinders accounting for as much as a third of a home’s electricity bill, combining your gas central heating to your hot water cylinder is one way to lower your power bill.

However you will need to consider annual rental fees for two 45kg LPG cylinders are around $120. Alternatively, the fixed daily charge for piped natural ranges from 10 cents right up to $1.90, and none of this is taking into account the actual cost of the gas.

Plus, when you’re building your home you need to set aside $1500 to connect your home to the gas mains.

Combine hot water heating with your central heating system

With an Ecodan hot water heat pump system providing central or underfloor heating throughout your home, you don’t need an extra hot water cylinder. You can use the instant hot water flowing around your home in the bathroom, kitchen and laundry.

Ecodan hot water heat pumps are made for New Zealand

Way back in the day, one of the biggest complaints about heat pumps was that they stopped working hard when the weather got cold and you needed them most. That’s because around the world heat pumps are primarily used as air conditioners. Not heaters.

New Zealand needed heat pumps made to suit our climate.

The Mitsubishi Electric Ecodan Hot Water Heat Pump is made for those cold, Christchurch winters. You’ll still enjoy plenty of warm water, even when temperatures drop as low as –15°C.

That means a reliable, dependable, energy efficient solution for your central heating and your hot water all-year round.

Are you building a new home in Christchurch and want to know more about energy efficient central heating systems? Contact the team at Heat Pumps NOW on 03 377 7393 for a free quote and a chat about how you can heat your whole home for less.