Heat pumps aren’t just a good idea. They’re a win-win scenario for everyone involved.

Not only can heat pumps save you much of your household spending on energy, but they also help to reduce carbon emissions.

As energy becomes more expensive and resources more precious, heat pumps are only going to become more popular. And that’s especially true with the new changes to the National Construction Code (NCC) that are taking place in 2023.

These are expected to affect everything across the energy efficiency, waterproofing and accessibility of residential buildings. The new rules have a staggered start, with some coming into effect on the 1st of May, and the rest being implemented from the 1st of October onwards.

How Does a Heat Pump Work?

As fantastic as they are, a heat pump is actually a pretty simple system.

The idea is to transport heat from the surrounding area to the desired location. A heat pump draws heat from the outside, uses an electric compressor to focus the temperature, and then sends the heat to the desired location.

This is similar to how a fridge or freezer operates.

A heat pump is usually good news for the environment. Even just an ordinary heat pump using standard Australian grid energy can reduce emissions by a quarter compared to gas, or three quarters compared to an electric fan or panel heater.

How Efficient Are Heat Pumps?

Most of the heat pumps on the market today have an efficiency range of 300 to 600%. Think of this as, for each unit of power the heat pump uses, it produces 3 to 6 units of heat.

A less efficient heat pump may have only an efficiency of 200%, while the best ones can be as good as 1,000%.

Keep in mind that how well it works depends on the temperature difference between how cold it is outside and how warm you want it to be inside. The bigger the temperature difference, the less effective a heat pump is going to be, as it struggles to keep up with the demands being placed on it.

Having said that, any heat pump will leave conventional electric and gas heaters far behind in the dust, as these systems only have a maximum efficiency of 100%.

Not only is this superbly efficient at keeping your home warm, but it can even continue to function at freezing temperatures.

How Much Could I Save?

The savings can add up to quite a bit. 

How much you could save will partially depend on what you already have. For example, the cost reductions will be the most for households who currently use inefficient gas heating, have a solar power system, or invest in a high-quality heat pump.

A heat pump can reduce your household energy expenses by 60 to 85%, if it will replace an existing system such as electric hot water or an electric fan heater.

If you’re using gas to heat your home, it can be difficult to calculate the energy savings, as the cost and efficiency can vary wildly. As a rule of thumb, you can expect heating with a heat pump to cost about half as much as with a gas furnace.

If you are looking to save as much on your energy costs as you can, by combining a heat pump with a solar panel system, you can bring down your energy costs by as much as 90% compared to gas heating.

Ask about Your Heat Pump Today

With the new NCC regulations kicking in, heat pumps are a better idea than ever before.

To learn more about how your household could benefit from the new changes, call 07 3805 1578 or contact us for the most competitive hot water rates in Australia.