Panasonic has launched its new line-up of carbon dioxide (CO2) hot water heat pump solutions for the Australian market, suitable for installation across small commercial and residential projects.
It includes 16 configurations across two output ratings and multiple tank sizes. Two outdoor unit capacities – 4.0 kilowatts (kW) and 6.0kW – designed and manufactured by Panasonic in Japan, combine with eight tank options in 250-litre, 315-litre and 400-litre sizes. Tanks can be either vitreous enamel or stainless steel.
With a plug-in outdoor unit connection, the range is engineered to make the installation process seamless for a licensed tradesperson.
The top of the range 6.0kW model achieves a Coefficient of Performance (COP) of 6.1, which equates to the solution being up to six times more energy efficient than a standard electric hot water system.
This means its heat energy output is up to six times greater than the electricity required to run the system, with Panasonic claiming that it is one of the most efficient heat pumps in the market. CO2 is also a natural refrigerant with a global warming potential of just one, making it a cleaner choice.
The company adds that the new hot water heat pump range maintains consistent energy efficiency and running costs, with reliable and superior water temperature performance even in cold weather.
It produces hot water at 59 degrees Celsius without requiring an electrical back-up, even at an outside temperature of -10 degrees Celsius.
Each system can integrate with existing solar (PV, photovoltaic) systems, with no additional interface hardware required.
They also include a Wi-Fi controller and the Panasonic Comfort Cloud app. The app includes an energy monitoring feature to help track energy consumption and costs by year, month and day, giving users ongoing visibility of running costs and their hot water heating bills.
Users can also set heating start and end times and target temperatures up to twice per day, activate a holiday mode to disable water heating while travelling, or use the boost function to manually start the heating process at any time.
“Heat pump solutions are becoming increasingly popular in the Australian market, delivering energy savings as a cost-effective alternative to gas and electric hot water heating,” Panasonic Australia group manager – marketing and engineering, HVAC Solutions Joe De Bella says.
The company says that its latest CO2 heat pump range qualifies for the nationwide Small-scale Renewable Energy Scheme, which may lower the upfront cost of acquiring it.
Image: Supplied.
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