What is a Heat Pump?

A Heat Pump is an appliance similar to a fridge or freezer that can heat or cool the atmosphere in your premises. It heats, cools, dehumidifies and continuously filters the air of dust and other impurities. A typical Heat Pump has two parts to it, an indoor unit and outdoor unit and for this reason they are often called a Split System. Like many appliances, a Heat Pump is operated using a remote control.

How does a Heat Pump work?

An outdoor heat exchanger absorbs heat from the atmosphere, an indoor heat exchanger disperses the heat into the building.  There is a compressor that compresses refrigerant gas that then carries the heat from one coil heat exchanger to the other, changing the direction of the refrigerant gas, giving us heating or cooling.

What are the benefits of Heat Pumps?

Energy Efficient: Heat Pumps are very energy efficient as they consume a little energy in order to deliver three or four times as much heat energy. The ratio of energy-out to energy–in depends on the operating conditions and typically varies between 2 to 1 and 5 to 1. The overall average is called the seasonal performance factor.

Environmental: Heat Pumps access renewable or waste energy and so displace consumption of conventional fossil fuels (gas, oil, coal). As electricity generation technologies improve, the emissions performance from the combustion of fossil fuels and renewable electricity generating capacity increases, so the greenhouse gas emissions associated with electricity consumption are reducing — making Heat Pumps even more environmentally beneficial.

Economics of heating houses: The running costs of a Heat Pump can be less than those of a traditional gas boiler heating system and definitely less than some other forms of heating (LPG, oil, electricity). The initial capital cost is usually higher than other conventional heating systems. The ‘whole–life’ cost, combining the capital and running costs, can be very favourable for Heat Pumps compared to fossil fuelled systems — and, especially, compared with other forms of electric heating.

In addition to providing domestic heating, Heat Pump systems are used in commercial premises (offices, hotels, supermarkets) — often providing heating and cooling — and also in some industrial processes and applications.

But how can Heat Pump heat my home in Winter?

A home freezer can take the temperature of its food compartment below zero degrees. The same process used in Heat Pumps can extract enough heat from cold outside air to warm the home. Although bodies feel cold at these low temperatures, there is still a lot of heat energy in the outside air at zero degrees celsius and below.

What size Heat Pump will I need for my Home?

Every home is as individual as its owner. The key to selecting the right Heat Pump for your home is an accurate calculation of the heat that will need to be transferred into your home in winter for heating and out of your home in summer for cooling. This needs to be carried out by experienced and qualified specialists such as those on our sales team. We pride ourselves on our personalised service.

What factors will affect the size of the Heat Pump I need?

The amount of heating needed will depend on the heat your home loses through windows, walls and roofs. To minimise this loss, good insulation is recommended. By insulating first, the size of Heat Pump selected will generally be smaller and therefore cheaper to run.

Do Heat Pumps take up a lot of room?

No. Heat Pumps are designed to be unobtrusive in their size, are neutral coloured and run at low noise levels so as not to be noticed. There are also different types of Heat Pumps from through the wall split systems, to ducted systems which are hidden in the ceiling or under the floor.

How much will it cost to buy & install a Heat Pump?

Because each home is unique, the installed cost of a Heat Pump is different for each home and will depend on the size and type of Heat Pump required. For example: an average 3–bedroom 100sqm New Zealand home may use a 5kW Hi–Wall split system to heat. We would be pleased to provide you with a FREE no–obligation in–home quotation.

How much does it cost to run a Heat Pump?

To answer this the amount of heating required will need to be known. Assume 5KW heating is needed, electric heating is normally 100% efficient so for 5kW of heating you pay for 5kW of electric energy. Gas heaters are less than 100%, lets assume 90% efficient. This means to gain 5kW of heating you pay for 5.6 kW of gas energy. Although gas may be cheaper per kW you need to use more of it to produce the same heating effect. Heat Pumps transfer heat from outside air and in this way produce three to four times more heat. Its efficiency is 300% to 400%. This means for 5kW of heating you pay for around 1.5kW of electric energy. Heat Pump heating is roughly one quarter the cost of electric heating and about one third the cost of gas heating.

How can a Heat Pump be cheaper to run with more moving parts?

A Heat Pump uses electricity to "transfer" heat. Electric heaters "convert" electric energy to heat energy and are thereby limited by the amount of electricity they can use. A Heat Pump has no such limitations and can transfer three to four times the heat from the outside air.

Are Heat Pumps noisy?

No.  Heat Pumps are not noisy.  The dB ratings are provided with all quotations.

Are Heat Pumps reliable?

Yes definitely. Fujitsu Heat Pumps are provided with a 6 year manufacturers warranty which we at CozyCool then dove–tail with our own 6 year warranty on installation.

How easy are Heat Pumps to repair?

Provided the service person is experienced and qualified repairing Heat Pumps is as straight forward as repairing a fridge or freezer. We encourage all Heat Pump owners to have a servicing plan in place.

Do Heat Pumps need servicing?

Like a car, Heat Pumps should be serviced regularly for optimum performance. This involves cleaning the air filters and perhaps checking that the refrigeration charge is correct.

How are Heat Pumps better than other forms of heating?

Apart from being cheaper to run than any other form of heating, Heat Pumps offer many more benefits than heating only systems can. Heat Pumps do not burn oxygen or create stuffiness like open fires. They are designed for year–round comfort not just the 4 months of winter. Heat Pumps produce low density heat which is safe for children and the elderly, unlike fires or electric heaters. They are unmatched for convenience of use (remote controlled). They don't pollute our atmosphere with the products for combustion and they use ozone friendly refrigerants.

Our Process

We offer all customers our fulsome four–step process, along with ongoing communication and technical expertise throughout.

1. Step 1: Personalised in–home/on–site no obligation FREE consultation.
2. Step 2: Discussion and question/answer session. Following our visit our sales and technical team are available to answer your questions. Call us, we are here for YOU.
3. Step 3: Installation by our specialist in–house technical staff. All our team are fully trained professionals with vast experience, along with site safety certification.
4. Step 4: Personalised liaison post–installation, along with the ability to provide ongoing servicing of all installed units.

Our team will telephone you to ensure you are CozyCool. We stand behind our Heat Pumps 100% and encourage you to ensure a service plan is in place for your investment.

CozyCool is a leader in customer service, as can be attested to by our finalist status at the 2007 Porirua Business Awards. Our team, from our Receptionist to General Manager, offer all clients transparent, supportive and knowledgeable service.

Maintenance Options

Heat Pumps should be serviced regularly for optimum performance. This involves cleaning the air filter and perhaps checking that the refrigeration charge is correct.

CozyCool offer three types of servicing arrangements:

• Gold — Highly Recommended please contact us for further information and pricing]
• Silver — Recommnded [please contact us for further information and pricing]
• Bronze — Medium Recommended [please contact us for further information and pricing]
• Casual — [please contact us for further information and pricing]

Please complete your request for further information. We will contact you within two business days to discuss.