Enjoy long-term savings with a premium heat pump hot water system. Cash in on government rebates while they're available. Reduce your carbon emissions so you help the planet while helping your bank account.
If you like headaches, then yes. These highly promoted offers are generally too good to be true. Here’s our take:
Companies spruiking these heat pumps target the lower end of the market. These low end heat pumps are typically made cheaply in China and have no warranty beyond the mandatory 1 year Australia Consumer Warranty.
The question to ask is: How does a business actually make money selling $33 heat pumps? How do they earn enough to cover their expenses and turn a profit?
The answer is through quick, cheap installations and taking advantage of NSW and Federal Government rebates. These rebates are substantial, totalling $2200.
That’s not a problem in itself. The problem is when these cheap heat pumps stop working and there’s no recourse. The installer will be happy to refund you your $33, but you lose out on ever using the rebate again. You’ll then have to deal with the hassle of removing the dead heat pump and replace it with another hot water service.
There are other ramifications too. All heat pumps utilise refrigerants. Cheaper heat pumps use refrigerants that can be extremely damaging to the environment. The rule of thumb is the more premium the heat pump, the less environmental impact.
For example, the below chart shows various refrigerants and their impact on the environment:
The most harmful refrigerant is R410a GWP.
The least harmful is CO2, which for example is used in Reclaim and Sanden Heat Pumps.
