Key takeaways:
- Please do not choose a heat pump hot water unit based on whether it has wifi or not. Wifi is overrated
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I have spent a lot of time looking at manufacturer's websites. I've noticed a trend of many of them emphasising how their unit is fantastic because it has wifi control.
I think we need to take a practical view of wifi control of a hot water unit: it'll be great to start, but six months later, how often are you really going to look at the app?
I have read that 25% of all Apps are downloaded and used once. 3 months later, only 29% of apps continue to be used.
Wifi for heat pump hot water will surely add to these stats. I'm sure there will be some people that like to check out their hot water weekly or daily, but most of us won't. Hot water is pretty basic - I want hot water when I turn the tap on: that's it. Heat pumps have more moveable parts and yes it's a good idea to set it to 'holiday' or 'eco' mode when going away, but this can easily be done directly on the unit. Wifi for hot water is a perk, a feature at best, but should not be the basis of a decision.
Timers
Timers, on the other hand, are a must.
Heat pump hot water should be run during the day, for 3 reasons:
- The units work by sucking heat out of the air and pumping into the water. The units work more efficiently when there is more heat in the air: during the day, not at night time.
- Those that have solar can power the unit for free (as I outline in Free Hot Water)
- Noise is less likely to be an issue during the day than at night time
I encourage people to set timers say between 11am and 5pm in winter and 9am and 5pm in summer (depending on where you live).
Indeed, units without timers will no longer be eligible for some state rebates.
An Example: Reclaim V2
Reclaim's V2 Wifi controller is an example of where customers need to make a decision: do they pay extra for the wifi control, or save their pennies?
I think people should save their money. I think the wifi control will hardly be used.
The exception to this is Reclaim's V2 Wifi units come with an extra 1 year warranty. I think this is worth considering - an extra year on the warranty. But don't pay for the wifi control unless you think you'll regularly use it.
