After choosing c/bond over tiles for our new ppor,
what about for hot water anybody had the new gas set up with the touch pads inside. We will have gas bottles for cooking anyway. Has anyone had a Quantum they have a fan that draws the warmth from the air to heat the water, this is what our builder uses.
RoboHi Robo,
We went for a solar system with electric booster which is on ‘Smart Power’. This means we can flick the power on after 9 pm ready for the morning showers when our tariff is 6c/unit instead of peak rate of 18c/unit.
We have found that there is generally enough heat still left in the water at the end of the day when teh youngest daughter showers. The solar is sufficent for us for approximately 6 months of the year when no power boost is required. Another 3 months we intermittently use power boost and even in winter we have been known to have sufficient sunshine for our hot water needs.
Derek
[email protected]
http://www.pis.theinvestorsclub.com.au
0409 882 958We also have solar and have the electric booster on a timer ie: it comes on a 4pm (when most of the sund for the day has gone), if it’s warm enough then it turns back off, if the water isn’t warm enough then it heats up for the next couple of hours. This allows us to all have our showers of the evening. We find that for 9 months of the year we don’t need teh booster, but the other thre months we do and that’s where the timer works well (without the timer we had a few cold showers after forgetting to put the booster on!)
We had gas prior but found that we were going through a gas bottle a month, very expensive as it was constatnly turning on to keep the tank of water hot for when we may turn it on. Previous house we had gas mains connected and this was the cheapest way to go in that house.
Haven’t used the new touch pads or the Quantam thing you are talking about, sounds very interesting though. If it possible to have a solar setup with the new gas touch pad thing as the booster?
All the best
PKOpex for the solar syaytem is obviously fairly low with the booster only needed occasionally.
What about the Capex of the system vs a gas HWS ??
Anyone know what the ‘real’ payback time, vs what the sales spiel is ?? Are we talking 3 yrs / 10 yrs ??
Cheers,
Darryl Moore
“No point having a cake if you can’t eat it.”
Hi PK, this is there web site http://www.quantumenergy.com.au
Got this below off their site.
The new gas systems heat the water as it goes through pipes they don’t have storage tanks, you are right gas is expensive for bottles.
roboListed below are just some of the differences between a QUANTUM Heat Pump and a conventional Flat Plate Solar system, which shows QUANTUM as offering many attractive advantages.
The Quantum Compact heat pump water heater is as easy to install as a conventional electric system – no need for complicated or expensive “special plumbing” work to be carried out
As the Quantum storage tank is at ground level, it may be sited so as to dramatically reduce the amount of cold water run off at the hot water taps, thus saving water as well as the energy required to heat the water.
The Quantum Compact can be located in any external location around the building. It definitely does not need to “face north” like flat plate solar units. Nor is there the need for those unsightly frames, which tilt the collectors to the required vertical angles.
The evaporator coil on the Quantum Compact is specially coated to protect it from corrosion, which helps to keep your Quantum running at peak efficiency over its long operational life.
The Quantum Hot water storage tank is installed at ground level, thereby providing ease of maintenance and not imposing any additional weight on the roof.
The Quantum Heat Pump does not rely on direct sunlight for its operation. Due to its advanced design the unit will produce hot water in all weather conditions, even at night, it simply absorbs heat energy from the environment.
As the Quantum Compact does not use any panels it cannot be damaged by heavy hail, as the glass panels of a conventional Flat Plate solar often can be.
The Quantum Heat Pump has no gas or electric “booster element” in the tank as required in conventional Flat Plate Solar units. With the low cost of running the compressor in a Quantum, the heat pump can be actually more economical to run over a twelve-month period than a conventional Flat Plate Solar water heater.
In cold climates some Flat Plate Solar collectors have suffered severe damage from frost. Because the Quantum Compact has no panels there is absolutely no risk of damage from freezing.
instant gas – heats the water when u turn the tap on – small unit inside or outside – size of a suitcase – fantastic when the outlaws come to visit – no cold showers ever – don’t know how they go with bottled gas but i’ve never looked twice at my (mains) gas bill.
cheers
brahms
Purveyor of Fine Finances
aka Mortgage Broker BrisbaneI’m a big fan of the gas instant HWS. There are a few different types available all with different features (or selling points [biggrin]).
Just be sure that it heats enough litres p/min to accomodate your needs – eg dishwasher takes 17L/p/m to run so don’t go getting a smaller system and wanting to have a shower while the dishwasher is running.
Also, as brahms said, you will have a very small gas bill cf a regular gas HWS. As for electric HWS they are not even in the competition as far as running costs go.
Sonja
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