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| Thread ID: 88903 | 2008-04-14 00:39:00 | Heat pumps | nofam (9009) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 658492 | 2008-04-14 00:39:00 | What are you guys' thoughts on heat pumps?? I'm are looking to put one in, and would like to know: - Which brand to go for (Can get Fujitsu for cost+GST :D ) - How many k/w - Floor mounted, or traditional wall-mounted - What kind of real-world power savings you've seen - Any other problems/tips etc Any other comments welcome as usual!! |
nofam (9009) | ||
| 658493 | 2008-04-14 01:41:00 | If you go to the Futitsu site you will find a room size calculator to work out what size heat pump you will need. Daikins site has one as will. :) |
Trev (427) | ||
| 658494 | 2008-04-14 01:43:00 | NZ Consumer did a write up on them some time ago. Average installed cost was $4000.. | paulw (1826) | ||
| 658495 | 2008-04-14 02:01:00 | Decent ones are not cheap to buy & install. We bought two in 2006, one 10watt and one five watt. The outside unit (compressor) has the capacity to accept another indoor unit. We bought Daikin as they have a good reputation and this is the only product they make. Don't be fooled by the 'silent' thing. At initial operating speeds they will all make some noise.....a necessary function of a fan moving air, but once they are at the stage of maintaining temp they are all pretty quiet. As a heating device, provided you have the correctly specced machine for the area you are trying to heat, THEY ARE BLOODY MARVELLOUS. Any dollar savings? I really wouldn't have a clue. We put these in because I am getting past lugging around large baskets of firewood, lighting the fire then waiting up to an hour for things to heat up. So, best thing we have done for our winter comfort for a long time. Total cost was about $8000, expensive? Yes but worth it. :) |
Richard (739) | ||
| 658496 | 2008-04-14 02:15:00 | Our neighbours have one and the outside unit gives out a highpitched whine when it is running. It isn't even cold yet so it may be whining away all winter. Spoke to a guy from ecan recently who said that the savings are actually not significant. They don't work that well in powercuts either! |
theother1 (3573) | ||
| 658497 | 2008-04-14 02:37:00 | Whatever you do stay away from the cheaper ones - we had some Gree ones put in last year, and while they were good value for money, they're bit on the noisy side. | somebody (208) | ||
| 658498 | 2008-04-14 03:16:00 | We put in a Daiken one last year - great! :) We probably don't save any money on heating, but we are a darn sight more comfortable. |
R.M. (561) | ||
| 658499 | 2008-04-14 03:32:00 | One thing I always notice when I visit a place . . . either commercial or private/residential, is that a heat pump "swings" the temps radically and you are cold-hot-cold-hot-cold . . . . etc . Most installations do not allow the circ fans/blowers to run at all times, even in very slow speed . This causes thermal + or - zones to be created and the thermostat cannot fathom what the true temp actually is and swings the temps with either full-AC or brings the heat cycle into play . If your unit allows the running of the fan(s) as a circulation device and you sample the return air, then you will get some decent temp control and no-one complaining that their feet are cold and their head is hot or vice versa . I am currently correcting a large auditorium for that very same problem . If they will modulate the temps by adding or subtracting heat from the room with the blower(s) running all the time, then there are no real problems with the perceived temps and air circulation . The building I'm working upon has an "averaging" sensor system that reads the average temp in the auditorium, and either runs the coolers or the heat, but cannot run them both to create a decent temp-zone control . As a rule, I don't like heat pumps . They are new and kewl and have a lot of wow-factor . . . . but I feel they are seriously over-hyped and not worthy of consideration for a private home in the least . Our home uses a swamp/evaporative cooler and a gas-fired central heating furnace . We have a Mediterranean style climate here in SoCal, and I just know that youse guys have some areas with a similar climate . Bills are minimal; comfort is very high and everybody is happy . Personally . . . . I'd seriously reconsider the idea for a heat pump unit . Cost is a major consideration and the time till payback works out on use and energy consumption . . two factors that I do not find acceptable . |
SurferJoe46 (51) | ||
| 658500 | 2008-04-14 08:19:00 | Hello Nofam, I just got a wall mounted inverter heatpump from Daikin installed about a month ago. It is a 6.5 Kilowatt one and cost $3800 installed. It hasn't been cold much yet, so don't know how the economy power use will be, but I believe that they are very economic and use one third the energy of a normal 2 KW fan heater. The area I have to heat is 48.8 sq mtrs. Hope this helps! |
lakewoodlady (103) | ||
| 658501 | 2008-04-14 08:30:00 | Whatever you do stay away from the cheaper ones - we had some Gree ones put in last year, and while they were good value for money, they're bit on the noisy side. Got a mate that installed the $800 for Mitre 10. He said keep away from them. They tend to work for 'a season' and then they constantly need repairing. I'm building a new house, and Dad steered me away from a heat pump and towards a log fire. His argument was "you never know what the price of power is going to do, and you can always scrounge a bit of wood to keep you warm!" |
pine-o-cleen (2955) | ||
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