Heat Pumps

[Maccachic]

Really - wood burners don't have a drying effect?

They don't seem too, stayed at mates place who has them on 24/7 and my workplace and I get dry skin / eyes and overnight woke up with dry throat. Very unpleasant.

[Wayne]

don't see what the difference in heat is really.
A portable gas heater puts moisture into the air so I can see it would make a difference but heat pump v's fire?

[Maccachic]

I guess its the blowing that does it?? Dunno I just prefer the heat of a fire.

[DazRaz]

Brr 22 degrees isn't warm enough for me. Like the toasty warmth of a wood burner. Hate the drying effect of a heat pump on myself.

I set mine to 19. Plenty warm enough. Maybe you guys are too soft up there?

[Maccachic]

I set mine to 19. Plenty warm enough. Maybe you guys are too soft up there?

Im from Dunedin I know the benefit of being warm and toasty.

[Ahar]

I set mine to 19. Plenty warm enough. Maybe you guys are too soft up there?

At last another person who actually knows how to use a heat pump

As I said, the aim is to take the chill off the house.....most people don't seem to understand that you get cold when you go from a (over) heated area to a cooler area, which is what happens to most people when they overheat the living room. Typically these people then shut the lounge door "to keep the heat in".....thus the rest of the house is bl**dy cold

Keeping a lower but constant temperature throughout a house is far more comfortable

So, DazRaz, how do you find your power bill? Not too bad? And is your house fully insulated?

[klauster]

Ahar, your comments are spot on. If you use heat-pumps with brain, they are pretty good, if people don’t care they are a huge cost factor.

That starts already when installing them. For heating the free-standing unit do a good job while warm air goes up and should circulate, for cooling are the under ceiling installed the best as cold air is heavier and drops down.
Sometimes not even installers take care for optimal operation – just must be easy to install (quick and dirty).

[Ahar]

Actually I found the free standing-units were difficult to place.....under a window isn't the best spot, but there always seems to be a shortage of walls suitable.....went for the wall mounted units.

But a word of warning about using the air-conditioning function......I've heard that it's very power hungry....read "expensive"

I have family in Perth who wised me up to the cost of air conditioning.....but have never used it so don't know for certain.

[DazRaz]

So, DazRaz, how do you find your power bill? Not too bad? And is your house fully insulated?

My house has good ceiling insulation but no wall or floor installed (yet). It is a 1940's house with some new extra ventilation courtesy of 4/9/2010. Prior to heat pumps, I had a flued LPG heater. That thing cost a fortune to run. I'd say we have a medium sized power bill. Hard to compare really as we run a kiln in our dining room so our usage is a little different from most people's.

Cheaper heating than before and should be cheaper still following earthquake repairs as we will have floors, walls insulated and double glazing installed. I don't run them 24 hours, tried it and it does cost more. Doesn't take long to warm the place. Heat pumps are much faster than the old gas heater or the woodburner in my previous home.

[klauster]

Privately I followed the European style, based on heat retention and air circulation; basement with central electric underfloor heating that switches on below 15 degree Celsius all year around and top level with electric wall panel heaters installed beneath windows, temperature controlled and supplemental solar heating/ventilation. Everything has been running for more than 10 years without any repair or maintenance costs – and I wouldn’t change anything. My neighbor has the same sized house and pays with heat-pump nearly twice as much electricity as I do (townhouses with shared meter box where I can see his consumption).

[Wayne]

My neighbor has the same sized house and pays with heat-pump nearly twice as much electricity as I do (townhouses with shared meter box where I can see his consumption).

Could be the lamps he uses for his 'indoor plants'?

[klauster]

Wayne, I know him - he is too busy to regular watering.

Folks - here is a TIP for landlords and PM:
I also do during inspections meter readings. The sense behind is pro-active maintenance and repair. If for instance the electricity consumption jumps up with no reasonable explanation, something is wrong like hidden hydroponic plants, leaking hot water cylinder (happened twice) or something else. If mould shows up on walls and ceilings because of a water locked ground - far too late and much damage, P-lab even worse!

[donnyboy]

Tenants are far too stupid to know how to use them....this despite me giving them all precise instructions....passed on what the technician had told me....

• Turn on at the first sign of winter.....no more than 22C then turn them off again in the spring
• Yes, that's right, leave them running 24/7
• Takes a couple of weeks to dry the house out and warm up the walls etc. Left on auto the heat pump will maintain the ambient temperature.
• According to the techno, heat pumps should be used to take the chill off the house not heat it so hot that it's like living in a sauna

the technician needs to do more homework imo;

why would you say to leave the HP on 24/7? That is crazy unless the house is very well insulated. In a home built pre 90s,with no added insulation, a HP left on would be using loads of power.

A HP will not dry out your house! It has a dehumidifying function but works primarily on cooling. And it definitely wont dry out the whole house, unless you live in a shoebox. Dont buy a HP for the dehumidifying function.

[donnyboy]

Hi all

I would like to know the cost of supply and install an average heat pumps for rentals.

If anyone has installed one or few recently, can you please list out the break down cost?

ie supply of heatpump, installation, materials etc

Many thanks!

Gary

Costings depend on alot of things;

Size.You cannot install any size HP into a room, well not if its done properly. If its going into a lounge of say, 30sqm and normal height ceiling (2.4M) you would need a 4Kw HP, based on if the home is relatively well insulated. Colder climates will need 5Kw for the same.

Location.Where the units are located. Back to back is cheaper than a long run to the outdoor unit.

Brand. Do Not buy a unit with no presences in NZ, buying a cheap no name brand from the red shed for example will probably give out sooner than a well established brand.

Company. some companies offer very cheap deals but check out their history if possible. They could go bust which wont be good when you need a warranty repair. Some big stores sell the units and contract out the installation, again, hard to get it right when you have problems, they will point the finger to the other. Better to go to a company that sells and installs, and has been around for awhile. IMO

[PTWhatAGreatForum]

Heat pump / aircon feedback please?

I'm looking for a split unit with around 5kW cooling for server room use. I do not need fancy features, just something that will keep the room at a constant 19-20 degrees.

My budget is about $1,500.

My options appear to be - Tos-hiba, Hitachi and Kelvinator. The later is sold by Harvey Norman but does not seem to be widely available via installers making me wonder why?

Feedback please? Any other suggestions?

(Note - the brand of the first unit listed was asterisked out by this site, don't know why.... This is why I hyphenated it)