Emerald Heat Pump Hot Water Review

Tim's Emerald Review

Emerald is one of the better budget units on the market. I’ve seen some very attractive pricing from some installers, which will appeal to those with limited finances. For those with a higher budget, I suggest considering more upmarket units which might address the reliability and maintenance concerns.

✅ Cost: Emerald units are affordable

❓ Reliability: Emerald units have only been on the market for around 18 months, so it's too early to tell whether they are reliable

✅ Refrigerant: Emerald units use propane as the refrigerant, which is one of the best on the market

❌ Maintenance: Emerald units come with onerous maintenace requirements, which will be a hassle and drive up the cost over the long run

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Emerald heat pumps are a relatively new entrant into the heat pump market. There’s a lot to like about Emerald units, but there are a few concerns which I detail below.

Emerald Energy is a subsidiary of Emerald Planet which was founded in 2006. Emerald Energy sells heat pump hot water units and air conditioners. Emerald has a range of split and all-in-one heat pumps, across a range of sizes with optional back-up elements.

Emerald’s warranty is at the lower end of the market: 5 years on the units with 2 years labour. We’d like to see this improved.

One of the concerns I have about Emerald is the maintenance requirements. Page 2 of the Owner’s Manual stipulates:

Emerald’s terms then require the TPR Valve and anode to be checked every six months. By the letter of their terms, you’ll need to call out a plumber every six months, which seems over the top. Most other manufactures allow the user to operate the TPR valve. I suspect this will be cleaned up (and I’ll raise it with them) as these conditions are too onerous and will be too expensive over the life of the unit.

The reviews for Emerald’s heat pumps are strong: 4.7 stars from 100 reviews, making it one of the better reviewed units on the market. The concern I have with Emerald’s reliability is the units have only been in the market for 18 months. Reviews from customers that have used units for 5 years are much more valuable than reviews from customers who have only had the unit for 5 months. The acid test for Emerald will be whether the units last and customers are still happy over the long term. It’s too early to determine whether that will be the case.

An Emerald all-in-one heat pump hot water unit

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Emerald Specifications

Model	Emerald
Split/All-in-one	Split & All-in-one
Capacity (L)	Split: 200/300 All-in-one: 220/270
Tank Material	Glass lined
Tank Protection	Sacrificial anode
Place of Manufacture	China
Product Review Score	4.7 from 100 reviews
Warranty	Split: Tank - 7 yrs All-in-one: Heat Pump & Tank - 5 yrs Both: Parts & Labour - 2 yrs
Time in Market (Unit)	2023
Company Founded	2006
Noise Level	Split: 54 dB All-in-one: 45 dB
Maintenance	6 months (tradesperson) - operate the PTR valve; check anode and replace if required; clean the inner tank and electric heating element
Recommended Retail Price (RRP)	Split: ? All-in-one: $2,150

Emerald’s split unit is rated at 54 dB, one of the highest on the market. As I often point out though, this shouldn’t be a big issue as units should only be run during the day and 54dB is still lower than most air conditioning units. Emerald’s all-in-one units are lower at 45 dB.