Frequently Asked Questions

Can I heat my whole house with a single heat pump?

Yes you can with a ducted system.  This has the indoor unit in the ceiling or under the floor with ducts running into each room.  If you intend to use the more common hi-wall, cassette or floor console models they will only effectively heat the room they are in.  However, if designed properly, these systems can make the whole house a uniform temperature throughout.

Can I have several indoor units but only one outdoor unit?

Yes, these are called Multiple Split systems.   They are very good in a domestic environment where they can, like a ducted system, make a house a uniform temperature throughout.  They have the added advantage of being able to turn individual rooms off if they don’t require heating or cooling, thus saving on energy.

Can I put a heat pump in the hallway?

Yes, but this is always a compromise solution in that you will directly heat your hallway and rely on residual heating to take the edge off the bedrooms.  In some cases this can work well but in others you can spend a lot of money on something that is not effective. 

Can I use a heat transfer kit with my heat pump?

No.  This draws air away from the room and interferes with the sizing calculation, the effect is to overwork the unit.  The overall result being heat transfer simply doesn’t work with a heat pump. Some manufacturers have not upheld warranty claims based on the unit overworking due to a heat transfer kit.   

How much power will my heat pump use?

This is difficult to predict due to the many different contributing factors.  Things like correct unit sizing, dirty filters, doors left open, individual power pricing plans to name but a few, all have an effect on power consumption.

Our experience is that; a small inverter unit will use about $30.00 per month on an eight hour a day basis.

What is an Inverter?

Inverter Technology refers to the ‘on board’ control system in the latest generation heat pumps.  Essentially, the inverter continuously varies the heat pump output to achieve the temperature selected on the remote control.  When compared to the older ‘fixed speed’ technology (in which the unit only had two speeds – on or off!) Inverter heat pumps can be up to 30% more efficient.

Will my heat pump provide cooling in the summer?

Yes, all heat pumps come with a cooling option.  More and more New Zealanders are coming around to the idea of being able to cool their homes in summer.  It’s a very effective way of being able to sleep through those hot February nights without being carried off by the mozzies!

Where is the best location for my heat pump?

There are several considerations when selecting heat pump location.  Firstly, efficient airflow to ensure the room is evenly heated.  Secondly, positioning the indoor unit to reduce the chance of it blowing on people in the room.  Last is the consideration of being able to easily drain off the water made by the unit as it dries out the air.  Locating the unit on an outside wall is the easiest way of achieving this.

In terms of outdoor units, our primary consideration is clean airflow through the unit. So, under deck or house options cannot always be achieved.  We also try to place outdoor units on the ground and away from bedrooms.  This ensures that the small amount of noise they do make is not transferred to the house.

Every house is different.  So the best way to find out where to locate your heat pump is to have an Air Con representative come over and give you a free measure and quote.

Is a heat pump the same as a forced ventilation system (Dry-Matic , DVS, HRV etc)?

No, a heat pump is a device that efficiently heats, cools and to some extent, dehumidifies your home.  It does not introduce fresh air into the room but rather it reheats (or cools) existing air, while at the same time filtering dirt and allergens out.

A forced ventilation system is simply a controlled fan in the roof space of your home that brings fresh air into the building.  In doing so, it forces the old wet and stale air out.  This has the net effect of drying out the building and making it a lot nicer place to be.  While the two systems do different things, they actually complement each other very well.  At Air Con West Auckland we offer the

Dry-Matic range of forced ventilation systems.  These are a cost effective solution to persistent household moisture problems.

What are ‘Energy Recovery’ ventilation systems?

These are the next big technology to hit the home ventilation market.  They differ from the ‘in roof’ forced ventilation system (see above) in that the air entering the house comes directly from outside the house rather than the roof cavity. These Energy Recovery ventilators are particularly relevant in West Auckland where it can be very wet during the winter months and where there are a high proportion of houses without roof cavities in which to put a standard forced ventilation system.  At Air Con West Auckland we can offer the Mitsubishi Electric Lossnay range of Energy Recovery Ventilators.

The ingenious feature of these systems is that they use the energy in the outgoing air to heat (or cool) the incoming air.  So provided your house is at the temperature you want, this type of ventilation system will recover the energy already present in the room and transfer it to the incoming fresh air.  This prevents the hard won warm (or cold) air from being lost to the outside environment via the ventilation system. 

Will a Heat Pump dehumidify my home?

Yes, but there are a few tricks to it.  A heat pump has heating, cooling and dehumidifying modes.  In heating, it does not remove water from the air but because the air is warmer, the house is typically drier.  In cooling mode a heat pump is physically removing water from the air and in dehumidifying mode the unit is also removing water from the air but it is not maintaining a set room temperature.  For the water removal to be effective in dehumidifying mode the room air temperature should be above 19 deg C.  So in the cold of winter when damp is at its worst, use your heat pump to get the room warm and then switch it over to dehumidifying mode to dry it out.

Handy Hints For Operating Your Heat Pump

Click on the attachment to download your copy of our handy hints sheet

 Handy Hints Aug 10, (.pdf Format; 33Kb)