Heat pumps have the fastest sales growth of any hot water system in the country but industry and government standards still fall well short of protecting builders or consumers.

Although still lagging behind electrical, gas and solar hot water systems at about ten per cent of the market, heat pumps have the fastest growth in sales.

From a low of about 14,000 units in 2011, it’s now grown to about 130,000 appliances sold each year, and that surge is expected to continue until the mid-2030s as heat pumps replace gas appliances in both existing and new buildings.

But there is a catch for builders and their clients – a lack of uniform standards means there are risks if consumers aren’t careful about which heat pump they purchase.

Glenn Day, a heat pump expert with 30 years’ experience in the industry has warned if that doesn’t change the construction industry could be unwittingly installing dodgy heat pumps.

“Anyone can state anything at the moment,” Mr Day said.

Day started with one of the founders of heat pump technology Stiebel Eltron in 1996 and continues to work at the company today – he said the situation as it stands means builders may not actually get what they’ve been promised about the product’s performance.

“When you’ve got no hot water it’s a crisis – so that’s the risk – people don’t care about hot water until they do have an issue.“

“And that’s when a builder needs to know if the problem can be fixed in a timely manner that doesn’t hurt their reputation.”

The federal government and industry are working towards introducing Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (GEMS) for heat pump hot water systems, just like most other appliances around the home, by 2026.

Until then Day recommends a few strategies for builders to avoid getting lumped with a lemon.

“If someone shows the performance for their product, ask them how they can justify it,” he said.

“And ask yourself why that product’s price is so low, what’s missing when compared to other products. What’s the value?

“And as always, remember, you get what you pay for.”

How does a heat pump hot water system work?

The most common hot water heat pumps are air source heat pumps that extract ambient heat from the outside air to heat water in a storage system. A hot water heat pump is a vapour compression device, similar to a refrigerator, however it operates in reverse (courtesy: Heat pumps – Emerging trends in the Australian market – Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water)

Fast Facts

Popularity: Heat pump systems are becoming increasingly popular due to their high efficiency and ability to operate well in colder climates compared to solar systems.

Cost: The upfront costs are similar to solar systems, but heat pumps have the benefit of being usable year-round.

Efficiency: These systems work by extracting heat from the surrounding air to heat water, making them much more energy-efficient than traditional electric systems.

More About Heat Pumps

Watch Paul Vines from STIEBEL ELTRON chat with Jonathan Gifford about the role of heat pumps in electrification and their integration with solar PV at All Energy Australia 2024.