The truth is most leading brand heat pumps are similar in terms of reliability. But based on a survey by Consumer NZ, most Kiwis choose Panasonic as their top brand. It’s not hard to understand why. Panasonic’s ENERGY STAR rated heat pumps are powerful yet energy efficient. And the range has an edge over comparable units where performance and aesthetics count.

The Panasonic 4.9kW ECONAVI, in particular, is a remarkably reliable heat pump especially for large living spaces. Its Intelligent Sensors automatically adjusts power to save energy based on the human activity and sunlight intensity inside the house. In winter, it warms the house quickly and nicely even when the outdoor temperature drops to the negatives. So even if you live in the coldest parts of NZ, this heat pump is sure to keep you toasty. In summer, the system works just as well in reverse, which is perfect for the scorching summer months. Best part is it works silently in the background.

The Panasonic 4.9kW ECONAVI Reverse Cycle also solves common complaints we have with modern AC systems. That is, it doesn’t suck out the moisture from the air so it doesn’t leave our throats dry and scratchy even if we leave it on overnight. The verdict: it’s great value for money.

Find more reviews here:

https://www.canstarblue.co.nz/appliances/heat-pumps/#

https://www.consumer.org.nz/products/heat-pumps/overview

If you are interested in the Panasonic heat pump for your home, contact us today on 0800 549 443.

If you own a heat pump, you have probably been told that it is more efficient to leave it on at night on the lowest temperature than switching it off – the reason being that maintaining a warm temperature uses less energy than reheating the room in the morning.

Well, here’s the truth.

While heat pumps are the most cost effective way to use electricity to heat your home during the cooler months, leaving them running day and night is not economically efficient. According to Energywise, you should switch off your heat pump when you don’t need it. This is to avoid excessive energy waste.

If you want to get the most out of your heat pump, consider this:

Insulation

Proper insulation alone could slash your power bill by a significant amount. If your walls and ceiling are adequately insulated, your heat pump won’t have to work as hard and your home will be cheaper to heat.

The temperature will drop after you shut off the heating. If your home is well insulated, the temperature will drop at a slow rate so there is no point having your heater on at all. Otherwise, the temperature will drop faster but the heat from your heat pump will only dissipate and go to waste. So either way, you’re better off having thick covers to keep you warm than having your heat pump running all night.

Consider your climate

Many heat pumps can’t keep up with huge temperature drops. If you live in a cooler climate, you’ll need a heat pump that performs well at cooler temperatures. Make

Choose the right size

One size doesn’t fit all. If the unit is too small for the space being heated, it will struggle to provide enough heat and will cost more to run. On the other hand, if the unit is too big, it will use more energy than necessary to warm your home.

Moreover, different types of heat pumps work differently. For instance, a split-system is designed to heat only a room so it works particularly well for open plan living areas. Ducted systems enable you to heat multiple rooms through a series of ducts through the ceiling.

Set the timer

To make sure you always come home to a warm house, you can set the timer to turn the unit on half an hour before you get home. You can also set the timer to switch the heater on before you get out of bed in the morning. This practice could save you roughly $50 to $100 a month, depending on the size of your unit and the space being heated.

Another way to save money is by keeping the setting low (18^oC or -20^oC). It is a misconception that setting your heat pump to the maximum will heat the room quicker. – it won’t. It will only use more energy.

Lastly, it’s important to have your unit cleaned and serviced regularly, especially before the cooler months arrive. For more information about heat pumps and air conditioning units, contact the heat pump specialists on 0800 549 443.

Fujitsu have established themselves as a leading brand when it comes to heat pumps and air conditioners, and if you are considering buying a heat pump, it would not be wise to ignore Fujitsu.

Fujitsu have a vast range of heat pumps to meet all kinds of needs and requirements, and one of their latest additions is the AWTZ14LBC air conditioner.

The Fujitsu Nocria AWTZ14LBC is an inverter nocria designed to sit high on the wall right below the ceiling, to be unobtrusive. It pumps out a cooling capacity of 4.2kW and a heating capacity of 6kW. It’s features include an automatic self cleaning filter system,  automatic and manually adjustable louvres, program and sleep timers, auto-restart, a washable panel and a UV filter to disinfect and deodorise the air.

All features

Air conditioner type:	Split system
Inverter:	Yes
Sleep mode:	Yes
Star rating:	4.12
Star rating (cooling):	6
Star rating (heating):	6
Other model names:	AOTZ14LBC
Cooling capacity:	4200W
Heating capacity:	6000W
Number of fan speeds:	5
Refrigerant:	R410A
Dehumidifier:	Yes
Noise rating:	46dB
Remote control:	Remote control included
Weight:	13.5kg
Height:	250mm
Width:	899mm
Depth:	298mm

Benefits of a Nocria heat pump
Fujitsu’s Nocria system work to create a modern, efficient and quiet heat pump to provide heating in your home. What’s special about them is the automatic, self cleaning filter system.

Automatic Self Cleaning Filter System
The automatic self cleaning filter system works by using an ultraviolet illuminator to sterilise bacteria in the air, which also gets rid of pollen, dust mite carcasses and mould spore which collect in the filter. Most importantly, the heat pump with operate at 100% efficiency because it is not clogged. The filter takes approximately 2 minutes to fully clean during this process. It also means you don’t have to take the filter out to clean it regularly.

Conclusion
The Fujitsu Nocria AWTZ14LBC is an excellent choice for home heating for the average home. It provides efficient, low maintenance heating at low cost, and is unobtrusive once installed. If you would like to get the Fujitsu Nocria AWTZ14LBC for your home, contact us today.

Generally speaking, we all want a heat pump that’s efficient, cost little to operate, convenient to use and, perhaps most importantly, not distractingly noisy. If you haven’t yet found a heat pump that ticks all the boxes, you’re about to meet one.

Enter the Fujitsu ASTG22LVC model heat pump from the extremely popular Fujitsu Premier heat pump range. It’s a compact appliance with smart flat panel fascia and the most innovative engineering inside. Well, can we expect anything less from Fujitsu? They’ve been a leader in ductless technology for years, and their product lines are just getting better and more cost effective each year.

Back to the ASTG22LVC heat pump. Let’s talk about its noteworthy features and advantages:

Multi-functionality

This unit is a heat pump/air conditioner/dehumidifier in one. It keeps you toasty even if it’s freezing outside and also keeps you cool and refreshed in summer. It does a good job at dehumidifying the air inside your home to maintain a comfortable atmosphere indoors.

It has 4 fan speeds, including a quiet fan, which allow the unit to quickly heat or cool the room.

Power savings

Fujitsu further upped their DC and inverter technologies for better energy savings. In fact, they have more Energy Star heat pumps than any other brand. And we all know lower energy consumption means low running costs, which further translates to dollar savings.

The ASTG22LVC model has a 7.2kW heating capacity with a 3.55 coefficient of performance (COP). Its cooling capacity can reach a maximum of 7.3kW with a 3.23 energy efficiency ratio (EER). A good energy rating plus Energy Star qualification makes for a highly efficient, cost effective appliance.

Air purification

Clean indoor air means a healthy home. The Fujitsu heat pumps include a catechin filter that absorbs minute dust particles, pollen, invisible mould spores and any other harmful or allergy-inducing micro organisms. On this note, Fujitsu is well recommended by Asthma New Zealand.

The unit also comes with an optional long-life ion deodorising filter that works well in neutralising kitchen odours and pet smells.

Near silent operation

True to its promise, the heat pump is as quiet as a whisper. On the highest setting, it’s as quiet as bird calls (44dB) or a hushed library. You won’t notice the compact outside unit either, since it utilises efficient airflow design to reduce operation noise.

Better, smarter control

The Fujitsu ASTG22LVC lets control functions, set timers and regulate temperature from your smartphone or tablet, so you’ll always come home to a warm welcome. Plus, it has a 10^oC heat operation function on the remote control that will prevent the room temperature from dropping below 10^oC, ensuring the room never gets too cold when you’re away.

The LCD wall controller is very simple and easy to use. Its features include:

• a 7-day programmable timer
• auto-off timer to automatically shut it down if left on by accident
• auto return set temperature
• temperature limit select so you can lower the temperature range by single degrees
• economy mode for further savings
• lock-out operation: child lock, partial lock and management lock
• clean filter indicator
• memory back-up

Durability

Fujitsu took special consideration of the fact that many Kiwis live in areas within reach of salt-laden air, designing the outside heat exchange units to be corrosion resistant. The blue fin heat exchanger is protected by cobalt blue rust-proof material to enhance durability and prolong the performance life of the heat pump.

Final word

All in all, we’re impressed with the careful design and the thorough engineering of this Fujitsu heat pump. It’s now up to you to discover just how amazing this piece of equipment actually is.

Servicing of a heat pump is something that is often overlooked by many home owners, yet it is an integral part of maintaining your heat pump and preventing problems from occurring. Most people just have the heat pump installed and forget about it, but this is far from a winning strategy to a reliable home heating system.

So what does servicing involve?

The first step is cleaning the filter, which should be done regularly and is a job every home owner is capable of doing themselves.  This should be done every 2 weeks, is done by removing the front panel ofthe heat pump to access the filter, which can be removed and cleaning with either a small brush, a brush attachment on a vacuum cleaner, or rinsed with hot water.

The next step will involve a professional. This part of the service usually includes:

• Cleaning the heat pump system including filters, grills, vanes and covers
• Checking of fan blades or scrolls and cleaning as required
• Test and check of condensation line and drainage
• Checking all electrical wiring including terminals, voltage and current draw
• Testing start and stop sequence and heating to cooling changeover
• Checking both indoor and outdoor units to ensure that they are level, the mounts are in good condition and if there are any unusual sounds or vibrations
• Testing for leaks around joints and flare fittings
• Checking and cleaning both evaporator and condenser coils
• Test run to ensure all works as required and air on and off temperatures are correct.

What happens if you don’t service your heat pump?

When a heat pump is not cleaned and serviced on a regular basis, dust, allergens, mould and mildew will begin to build up.  Aside from just being unsightly, this can cause poor performance from your heat pump, loss in efficiency and even worse, health risks for everyone in the home.

With residential units, we recommend servicing annually. This is usually best done in spring or autumn, so you can enjoy your heat pump problem free in summer and winter. There are some instances where some more work may be needed, which is usually accompanied by larger power bills, inadequate performance or other odd behavior from the unit such as odd smells. Regular maintenance, however, will minimise the chance of this happening.

If it’s time for you to get your heat pump serviced, call us today!

Aucklanders, don’t wait for the Easter Sales at the malls and shops. Get your low cost heat pump today while you’re online!

No queues, no distracted sales staff just great service, great products and all at the click of a button.

We have survived through our non-existent Summer and are hurtling through Autumn at an alarming rate but are you prepared for Winter? A heat pump is a great option for warm family living in your home.

Compared with other forms of home heating, heat pumps provide you with relatively fast heat, you can both heat and cool your home so they are a convenient all year round option and many now have timer controls which are programmable from your smart phone (or the remote that comes with them).

If you have been considering getting a heat pump for your home, then check out what Kiwi Heat Pumps can do for your home and budget! Because we eliminate the middle man, our prices are substantially less than those that you will find in stores, including those stores that tout amazing sales prices on holiday weekends.

Do we scrimp on quality if our prices are so low? Absolutely not! We choose to stock Fujitsu heat pumps for a couple of reasons:
1. We believe Fujitsu heat pumps are the quietest, most efficient, most compact, most reliable and best looking heat pumps on the market.
2. We believe we will be able to supply you with a superior Fujitsu heat pump at a better price than other companies will do on a competing brand. We buy a lot of heat pumps from Fujitsu, we get fantastic deals from them and we can offer the best pricing on the market to you.

Unlike other retailers, many of our prices include the installation cost. This is a winning combination for you as the consumer. Often heat pumps are sold are very competitive rates – however once you’ve bought the unit you also need to have them installed. This is where companies screw you down and suddenly you can be faced with a large portion of the buy price being added on top just to cover their installation fees.

If you feel a bit cautious about buying such a large product online – we stand behind our products and name. We have over 1400 happy customers and this number continues to grow each year. We are happy to come and do a site visit prior to installation and make any recommendations required about the type and placement of heat pump that you have chosen.

Don’t let the winter cold snap take you by surprise this year – contact us at Kiwi Heat Pumps today and you can come home to a warm, dry home all winter.

Are you reading this whilst sitting in the comfort of your home? Depending on where you are in the country, the outside temperatures, especially during the night, are not exactly sitting in the sub-tropical region of degrees! If you are one of New Zealand’s fortunate home owners who have a heat pump for home heating, when was the last time you requested a service for this appliance?

Hopefully, you can answer that question instantly. But if you can’t, you might have a problem developing on your hands.

What happens if you don’t service your heat pump?

The short answer is that your heat pump will become less efficient and its lifespan could be affected. Keeping your heat pump running efficiently will allow you to benefit from its warmth whilst keeping the running costs low.

If dust and dirt accumulates in the filters and in your heat pump then you also can run the risk of having mould and mildew develop and grow in the inner workings. These spores can then be distributed through your home every time you turn your heat pump on.

Purchasing and installing a heat pump is an investment in both your home and you and your families’ health. Because it is an investment, it makes sense to protect your investment and the best way to do this is by requesting a regular service for it.

One of the simplest things that you as a home owner can do for your heat pump is to regularly clean the filters. When your heat pump was installed, the installer should have shown you what to do, but if you have moved into a home where a heat pump was already installed and you have never been shown how to clean a filter, it is super simple! Most heat pumps have a front cover, remove this and you will find your filters. The easiest way to remove the dirt is to use your vacuum cleaner with the brush attachment in place. You can also wash the filters by removing them and washing with water, making sure the water is not hotter than about 50°C and then drying them in the shade.

If you clean your filters yourself then you can organise to service your heat pump just once a year. Usually, the busiest times of the year for heat pump servicing is in spring and autumn. Why? Because people either like to have their heat pump work at its hardest during summer when it can pump cool air around your home or in winter when it pumps warm air around your home to keep you toasty.

Heat pump servicing should cover service items like the:

• Cleaning of filters
• Cleaning of vanes
• Cleaning of grills and outer covers
• Checking both indoor and outdoor units ensuring they are level; mounts are intact and checking for unusual sounds or vibrations
• Checking fan blades or scrolls and clean as required
• Checking for leaks around the flare fittings
• Checking condensate line and test for drainage
• Checking all electrical wiring including the terminals
• Checking and testing start/stop sequence and heating/cooling changeover
• Checking both evaporator and condenser coils
• Test run and check air on and air off temperatures

Your heat pump technician will be able to give you a breakdown of what their service will cover before they embark on servicing your heat pump.

Usually, an annual service is all that is required to keep your heat pump running at its optimal performance level. However, sometimes miscellaneous issues can crop up – you don’t have to wait for the next annual scheduled service to call a technician.

In fact, the sooner you get your unit looked at the sooner you can rest easy knowing that your heat pump will continue to work well, is operating efficiently and not costing you more than necessary.