Paying for energy is, to be frank, a pain isn’t it? I mean, it’s great to have hot water at our finger tips and we’re lucky to live in a country where you can get that. But spending more than you absolutely have to on an energy bill is just like stuffing money into your drain, and flushing it down with all that nice hot water. In Queensland, it’s estimated that 35% of household energy consumption is spent on heating water, so that’s a lot of money you could be shelling out to a utility company. If you feel the same way as we do, maybe it’s time to start looking for a more efficient source of energy. One way of saving money is to improve the efficiency of your water heater. Monitoring the amount of water flowing from your water heater is an important part of what makes it efficient and this can be monitored by installing a flow meter.

Another recent innovation that is capable of efficiently providing the hot water Gold Coast homes need is the heat pump – it draws energy from the air and uses it to heat your water. Clever, hey? By using the energy already available to us it is a heap more efficient and, unlike solar panels, it doesn’t rely on direct sunlight to work.

If you try a heat pump like the Hydrotherm, you’ll see savings of around $400 a year on energy bills. That means it pays for itself within two years, on average. Imagine the savings over a lifetime! They would be incredible. The guarantee of up to 15 years also gives you peace of mind that the savings are going to continue.

So, why are heat pumps so efficient? And how do they work? Well, it draws in the energy from the air (specially designed for a humid climate) and across an evaporator. Inside the evaporator coils, there’s a refrigerant which stores the energy. That changes from a liquid to a gas, the gas is compressed and the compression is what produces the heat. Basically, it takes a readily-available resource (ambient air energy), and turns it into heat energy in a simple and efficient way. It also works in a cycle, so that once the refrigerant has transferred its heat, it goes back to being a liquid ready to start again.

It’s simple, yet so clever at the same time. The parts are made from tough steel, so they’re not going to need replacing any time soon, and the Panasonic compressor is built to withstand all the pressure of the process. It’s also independently tested, so you know you’re getting the best quality. It’s all pretty efficient to install too. It’s compact, there’s no need for unsightly roof panels and it’s even subject to government rebates, which saves you even more. Lucky that the government are so forward-thinking when it comes to alternative energy solutions! In fact, the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target ensures that by 2020, 20% of Australia’s energy will be from renewable sources.

So, there are savings to be made. What else is good about the Hydrotherm? Well, there’s the all-year-round performance. The Hydrotherm works on cloudy days and even freezing, rainy days. There’s no need for back-up generators or batteries or any other specialist equipment. Once it’s installed it’ll just do its own thing, providing as much hot water as you need. It’s environmentally friendly, but without the pitfalls of solar panels. You also don’t have to worry about getting the perfect roof alignment, or making sure your panels stay out of the shade.

Of course, there are a lot of models of air heater out there, but none of them quite compare to the Hydrotherm. Some have an internal heat exchanger, some work without an electrical booster but the Hydrotherm is the only one that has all the features you need. So scrap, that inefficient old boiler – it’s draining your money and it’s not environmentally friendly. Invest in a Hydrotherm, and enjoy the savings the efficiency brings!