When we get to winter, you could start looking at upgrading your boiler with something totally different. After all, central heating boilers are generally big, cranky, temperamental pieces of kit that are no friend to the environment. But we’re in the 21st century, and you’ll find that there are lots of sustainable energy options to pick from. So, what about buying some sort of environmentally friendly domestic hot water system, like a heat pump?
A hybrid heat pump is actually a solution which brings together heat pump technology with a storage tank, in order to heat your water in a brand new way. It is actually solar-powered, but it is an entirely different form of solar powered compared to the individual panels you put on the roof of your house. Quite simply, this is how it works – the heat pump system utilises the energy in the air to provide you with hot water. Which means that it doesn’t require sunshine, unlike solar panels. Meaning the system works even during rainy, over cast conditions – so it will be great for the winter months! After it’s taken the energy in, it will be stored by a type of refrigerant, that then changes from a liquid to a gas. After the gas is pressurised, it creates the heat which goes directly into your storage tank, and voila, your hot water whenever you need it.
What makes heat pumps so different to solar-powered solutions? Well, for starters there’s no need for solar energy panels, as mentioned above. Solar energy panels are often tricky systems to deal with – along with working only on days when you have sunshine, there’s the concern that something might block out your sunshine and stop your solar power panels working. Sure, there’s nothing putting your home in the shade as you install your solar panels, but who’s going to stop somebody building a five storey house next to you? With solar power panels shade equals catastrophe. You might even find that something as basic as the alignment of your roof can prevent the solar panels functioning properly.
The other major difference is the fact that you won’t need any sort of back-up or boosting if you have a heat pump. The changeable nature of our climate means anybody using solar panel systems has to have a back-up, and with cyclones, floods and droughts to deal with Australia can be pretty unpredictable! The level of back-up you need varies – you could get a back-up power generator or you could use costly batteries. Or there’s a 3rd option where you’ll be able to get connected to the power grid and use their source of electricity if needed, as well as provide electric power back when you can.
That might appear to be the ideal option, but even that will have its pitfalls. Your local electricity provider might not agree with it, there can be government regulations which don’t allow it and also the buy-back price may not be as much as you’d hoped. On top of that, it will probably require special equipment. If there was a power cut, it might be that your system would keep feeding into a line that the power company believes is down – as you can imagine, that will be unsafe! For that reason, that will be more specialist equipment you will need.
What about heat pumps? Very simple – you won’t have to have any kind of back up solution. This type of system functions night and day, cold and hot, even right down to freezing temperatures. So they’re far more reliable, and if you required some reassurance, the best systems come with a warranty of up to Fifteen years.
There you go, heat pumps are going to be as valuable an option for our environment as solar energy panels, however they are considerably less complicated to install, far more dependable and also work in just about any conditions. Solar power panels were a great innovation, as well as a significant advancement in the renewable power sector, but it appears that technology has moved on yet again and heat pump systems may well become the power source of the future. If you believe the most eco friendly hot water Sunshine Coast properties have seen sounds like what you want, you can find lots more information and facts online.
Matty K's Ktoom 