As we get towards winter, you might start looking at replacing your central heating boiler with something different. Let's be honest, boilers are typically enormous, erratic, tempramental machines which aren't very environmentally friendly. But this is the twenty-first century, and there are lots of sustainable energy systems to pick from. So, have you thought about getting an environmentally friendly hot water system, like a hybrid heat pump? A hybrid heat pump is a setup that brings together a heat pump with a water tank, to heat your water in a totally new way. It's solar-powered, but it's a completely different sort of solar power to the individual panels you put on your roof. Quite simply, it works like this - the hybrid heat pump uses all the energy in the air to heat your water. Therefore it doesn't require the sunlight, unlike solar panel systems. So it works even in rainy, gloomy conditions - so it's ideal for winter! Once it has taken the energy in, it's actually absorbed by a special type of refrigerant, which then changes from a liquid to a gas. When the gas is compressed, it produces the heat which goes directly into your water tank, and there you are - domestic hot water any time you want it. What makes heat pumps so different to solar powered systems? Well, for starters you won't need solar panels, as outlined above. Solar panel products are often tricky things to deal with - as well as only functioning on days when you have sunshine, there's going to be the worry that something may perhaps block out your sunlight and stop the solar power panels working. Of course, there isn't anything putting your home in the shade as you install your solar panels, but who's to stop somebody developing a ten-storey apartment block next to yours? If you've got solar energy panels cover from the sun means catastrophe. You might even find that something as simple as the alignment of your roof could stop your solar panels working correctly. The other difference is the fact that there's no need for any kind of back-up or boosting with a hybrid heat pump. The unpredictable nature of our climate means that everybody using solar energy panels has to have a back-up, and with floods, droughts and cyclones to contend with Australia is rather unpredictable! The sort of back up solution you will need can vary - you could use a back-up power generator or you might use costly batteries. There's also a third option in that you can hook up to the grid and use their electric power whenever needed, and also supply electricity back whenever you can. That might seem like the perfect option, but even this has its disadvantages. Your electricity company might not agree to it, there could possibly be government directives that prohibit it and then the buy-back price might not be favourable. On top of that, you will need specialist equipment. If there was a power cut, it might be that your system could keep feeding into a line that the power company believes is down - needless to say, that might be unsafe! So, that is more specialist equipment you'll need. And heat pumps? Easy - you won't need any back up option. The system operates night and day, hot or cold weather, even all the down to freezing temperatures. So they're far more reliable, and if you required some reassurance, the top systems have a warranty of as much as Fifteen years. So there it is, heat pump systems will be as green an option for our environment as solar energy panels, but are much less complicated to setup, far more reliable and operate in just about any conditions. Solar panels were a great advancement, and a significant advancement in the renewable energy field, but it looks like technology has moved on once more and heat pumps may possibly become the power source of the future. If you believe the hot water system properties have been waiting for could be just what you're after, you can find plenty more information and advice on the net If a Hydrotherm hot water system could possibly be what you want, there's plenty more facts and information on the net.
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