Do you remember summer in New Zealand last year? I know our garden does! It was dry, hot and sticky so our heat pump (yes, it’s also an air conditioner) got used a lot. But before you rush out and buy one, we’re here to help you make an informed decision based on your cooling needs by looking at the four things you might consider before buying an air conditioning unit. Or you can skip this and just give our helpful customer service team a call on: 0508 088 888 or email: sales@gforce.nz
The Big Four
There are four factors to consider when purchasing a heat pump. But before we begin, please note we’ll be using heat pump to refer to both a heating & cooling unit as that’s what G-Force sell and install and the normal terminology in NZ
1 Energy efficiency
While you’re shopping, search for a unit with a Zoned Energy Rating Label (ZERL). The label will tell you:
- How much electricity the unit will use for heating & cooling – lower numbers are what we’re looking for here.
- How loud the unit is when running – again lower numbers are better and;
- How efficient the unit is – the more stars you see, the more energy efficient.
Unfortunately, New Zealand is labelled as one zone: COLD. This obviously doesn’t help us much when we are comparing how a unit performs in Dunedin vs Auckland.
However, the Gen Less Appliance calculator splits NZ up into different climate regions, so you can see how an air conditioning or heat pump unit will perform where you live.
2 Noise Levels
For air conditioners with both internal and external units, the latter might be important if the unit is near a window, bedroom or close to your neighbours house. The house icon at the bottom of the ZERL label indicates how much noise the air conditioner will make when operating at full power so be sure to check this out.
3 Size
Do you want to heat & cool just one room or the whole house?
High Wall (or Split System) Heat Pumps are one of the most common heat pumps found in homes. The heat pump unit is mounted on the wall in the room you want to heat or cool e.g your lounge and the remainder of the unit is located outside
Ducted Heat Pump systems allow you to heat or cool multiple rooms by distributing the heat through ducts installed in your ceiling.
4 Budget
And of course we can’t forget about budget. G-Force heat pumps start from $1,667 + gst but we often have specials running so don’t forget to ask our customer service team.
You might also be eligible for 80% off the price of a heat pump with a EECA grant – learn more HERE.
There are also finance options available via Warm Up Loans – learn more HERE.
