Heat pumps (Air to Air) vs Hydronic heat pumps (Air to water): Which is better?

November 17, 2022

With the growing concern to change lifestyles to help address the risks of climate change, more people are fortunately starting to look for better alternatives. Investing in heat pumps to provide comfortable warmth to homes is one of the ways Australians are looking to start the shift.

People often use the terms heat pumps and hydronic heat pumps interchangeably. But are they really the same? And what is more suited for you? Use this post as a quick guide to get a better understanding of these two heating systems!

Heat Pumps (Air to Air)

Traditional heat pumps use an evaporator and condenser system to warm the interior of your house. Instead of creating heat, these heat pumps, usually with the use of fans and air, move around heat in different locations – as necessary. Hot air uses a duct system and fans to regulate indoor home temperature.

During summer, the indoor coil evaporator draws in the heat and sends it outside to make your home more comfortable. In colder seasons, the outdoor unit serves as the evaporator, extracting the energy outside the home, warming up the air, and moving it around the house.

Hydronic Heat Pumps

Unlike their initial counterpart, hydronic heat pumps use water within their system to regulate the temperature inside your home. There are no duct systems that need to be cleaned and maintained, helping you save on these costs. However, you need to invest in pipes when using hydronic heat pumps. You can incorporate these pipes for radiant heat to deliver comfortable warmth through your floors or radiators.

Additional advantages of hydronic heat pumps are:

Fan free convector style heating your home without the need for air movement, perfect for allergy sufferers and those of us that like every inch of their house warmed not just where the hot air is being directed.
Humidity becomes more manageable: Especially important during warmer seasons, hydronic heat pumps can help regulate humidity.
Costs less to operate: Hydronic heat pumps do not only offer efficiently use of energy, but they also reduce your expenses by benefiting from your Solar PV system and utilising the suns energy to help run your heat pump during daylight hours.
Flexible design that can fit most homes: Hydronic heat pumps enable you to create “zones” throughout your home for a more strategic and efficient system. These zones allow you to maximise the heating capacity of your system, in line with the existing design of your home.

A hydronic heat pump can be an independent system regulating the temperature of the entire house or can serve as a supplement to an existing one. With these benefits and flexible design, hydronic heat pumps provide you with more options and higher efficiency.

In Australia, one of the most trusted names when it comes to heat pumps is WISELIVING. We have been creating products to help Australians live more sustainable lives, without sacrificing comfort or savings. Our R32 Hydronic Heat Pump brings together the technology of DC Inverter & EVI technologies, together with a refrigerant that has a much lower Global Warming Potential (GWP) design than others.

Consciously lower your carbon footprint and invest in systems designed to be more earth-friendly. We are excited to help you design home systems that are highly efficient yet with a lower impact. Message us today to know how we can help.

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WISELIVING Hydronic Heat Pumps vs. Competitors: Who makes the best hydronic heat pumps?

January 12, 2023

In finding the best hydronic heat pumps for your home , there are now several options to choose from. While all of them are designed to be energy efficient and to supply heating, cooling, and hot water to your home, they are not at all created equally. In this post, we have put together a comparison table between WISELIVING hydronic heat pumps and the competition, looking at the factors that make the best heating or cooling system units. Heat pumps factors to consider Output Capacity: This is the ability of the heating or cooling system to heat or cool a specific space, expressed in kilowatts (kW). With a bigger space, one would need a higher output capacity. In choosing the hydronic heat pump that best suits your home, factors to consider include heat loss, property age, and types of room. Typically, a 100-square-metre house needs 8kW for in-slab or 12kW for radiator heating. As the space of the house increases, so does the required output capacity. Physical Unit Weight: The physical size of the unit can be in height, width, depth, and weight. Along with the output capacity, choosing the correct size of the heat pump will help in keeping your home efficient and sustainable. Energy Efficiency Ratings: The higher the Energy Rating is, the more energy efficient the appliance is. This means utilising a lesser amount of energy to perform the same functions compared with other brands or units, with similar size and capacity. With heat pumps that have a higher Energy Efficiency rating, you are not only reducing your carbon footprint but doing it for less as well. Average Running Decibels: This measures the sound power level of the unit. The lower the decibel is, the less noise the unit produces. The average sound rating of modern outdoor heat pump units is around 60 decibels, which is comparable to a normal conversation between people. On the other hand, WISELIVING’s heat pump has a noise output of only around 47 decibels. Refrigerant: The medium used by heat pumps to absorb, transport, and release heat from the heat source to the heat sink out to your home’s interior and exterior. WISELIVING’s Hydronic Heat Pump uses R32 refrigerant, while the High Temperature Heat Pump uses R290. Both substances are environmentally friendly and have significantly lower Global Warming Potential (GWP) ratings compared to other refrigerants. Manufacturer’s Warranty: A quality guarantee from the manufacturer within a specific duration, which ensures support in case there is something wrong with the unit. R32 Hydronic Heat Pump WISELIVING’s R32 hydronic heat pump uses the combined technology of a DC Inverter, EVI, and the R32 refrigerant, which is one of the most environmentally friendly refrigerants available today. The R32 hydronic heat pump comes in a premium matte black ABS material case that is UV and corrosion-resistant, ideal for the constantly changing weather of Australia.