Hot water
Hot water that runs on daylight.
Hot water is one of the biggest line items on a power bill, and an old electric tank is the most expensive way to make it. A heat pump does the same job for roughly a third of the power. We can supply the unit or connect one you’ve bought, and we look after the electrical side, the circuit, the switchboard work and the timing,
So it heats in the middle of the day, on your own solar.
What we do
The electrical side, done properly.
What we look after
- Supplying the unit, included in the quote — or connecting one you’ve bought yourself
- The circuit and switchboard work a new hot water system needs
- Timers and controls, set so it heats during the day on your solar
- Changing over from off-peak to daytime heating on an existing system
- Working out what the system will actually cost you to run
- Certificate of compliance for the electrical work
Worth a conversation
- Solar hot water, where the roof and the household suit it
- Moving off gas, so the whole house runs on one energy source
- Hot water quoted alongside new solar or a battery
- Businesses and commercial premises
- Needing a plumber as well — we can put you onto one we work with
Tell us what you’ve got now, how many people are in the house and whether you’ve got solar, and we’ll tell you honestly whether changing is worth it yet.
How it works
Clear about what we do, and what we don't.
- Tell us what’s there now. Electric, gas or solar, roughly how old, and how many people it has to keep up with. A photo of the existing unit and your switchboard tells us most of it.
- We look at the electrical side. What the circuit needs, whether the switchboard can take it, and how we’d time it to run on your solar.
- A clear quote. The electrical work spelled out, with the unit included in the price if you’d like us to supply it. If you need a plumber for the water side, we’ll put you onto one we use regularly, or you’re welcome to arrange your own.
- Connected, tested and timed. Certificate of compliance for the electrical work, and the timer set so the tank fills up on daylight instead of on peak rates.
Why the timer matters as much as the tank
A heat pump is a fridge running backwards. Instead of making heat with an element, it moves heat out of the air and into the water. That’s why it uses somewhere around a third of the power of a conventional electric tank to produce the same hot water.
The old habit was to heat overnight. Off-peak made sense when the cheapest power came at 2am. With solar on the roof, the cheapest power now comes at midday — so we set the system to do its heating in the middle of the day, on electricity you’ve already generated rather than electricity you’re buying.
It works like a second battery. A tank of hot water is stored energy. Filling it with surplus solar that would otherwise have gone to the grid for a few cents is one of the cheapest ways to use more of what your panels make, and it costs a lot less than an actual battery.
Heat pump systems attract federal certificates that come off the price upfront. South Australian discounts may also be available depending on the system and your circumstances. Electrical work comes with a certificate of compliance; plumbing work is carried out by a licensed plumber.
Questions
Common questions about hot water.
If yours isn’t here, ask us and we’ll give you a straight answer.
What part of a hot water job do you do?
The electrical side — the circuit, any switchboard work, the connection and the timer that decides when it heats. We can supply the unit as part of the quote, or connect one you’ve bought yourself. The water side is plumbing and needs a licensed plumber: if you’d like a hand finding one we’ll put you onto someone we work with regularly, or you’re welcome to arrange your own.
Can you supply the system, or do I buy it?
Either. If you’d rather not go shopping, we’ll include the unit in the quote so it’s one price for the lot. If you’ve already bought one, or you’ve got your heart set on a particular model, we’ll work with that instead.
What actually is a heat pump hot water system?
It’s a tank with a small compressor on it, working like a fridge in reverse — pulling warmth out of the air and putting it into the water instead of burning it in with an element. Same hot water at the tap, roughly a third of the electricity.
How much will it save me?
It depends on what you’re replacing and how much hot water the house uses, but hot water is usually one of the two or three biggest things on an electricity bill, and cutting its power use by around two thirds is a noticeable change. If you’ve got solar and we time it to run during the day, the saving is bigger again. Send us a recent bill and we’ll give you a realistic number rather than a brochure one.
Can it run on my solar?
That’s the point of doing it properly, and it’s the part we control. We set the system to heat in the middle of the day, when the panels are producing, so it’s filling the tank with power you’ve already made instead of power you’re buying. If you don’t have solar yet, we can quote both together.
Do you do solar hot water as well?
Yes. Roof-mounted solar hot water suits some households and heat pumps suit others, and it depends on the roof, the shading and how much hot water you get through. Tell us about the place and we’ll tell you which way we’d lean.
Is there a rebate?
Heat pump systems earn federal certificates, and those come straight off the price, you don’t claim anything back. South Australia also runs its own energy savings scheme, and what’s on offer through it moves around and depends on your circumstances. We’ll tell you what applies to you rather than quoting a number off a brochure.
Are they noisy?
There’s a compressor, so there’s some sound, about what you’d expect from an air conditioner’s outdoor unit, and only while it’s running. Where it goes matters, so it’s worth thinking about placement rather than just putting it where the old tank was.
Should I get rid of gas hot water?
Often it’s worth doing, particularly if you’ve got solar or you’re thinking about it, because it moves your hot water onto power you generate yourself and gets you closer to dropping the gas supply charge altogether. Whether it stacks up depends on the age of your gas unit and what you’re paying, so it’s worth an honest conversation before you spend anything.
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Send us a recent bill and we’ll tell you honestly what makes sense for your home or business, even if that’s nothing yet.