Brands we install
A short list, known deeply
Reclaim Energy, Panasonic, Stiebel Eltron, Earthworker, Haier, Thermann and Aquatech. A short list we install several hundred times a year, rather than fifteen we install occasionally.
Why a short list
- We know the failure modes, not just the brochures
- Commissioning done right, every time
- Parts and warranty paths we have actually used
- Honest advice on which suits your house
The brands
What we install, and what each one is good at
Every one of these is a system we install regularly and service ourselves. Which one we recommend depends on your house, not on what we would prefer to sell.
Reclaim Energy
CO2 refrigerant heat pumps, as split systems where the compressor sits away from the tank, and as an all-in-one. A common recommendation where compressor position or noise near a bedroom decides it. Reclaim has more models on Solar Victoria’s locally made list than any other brand, so the higher rebate stays available across almost any configuration.
Panasonic
CO2 split systems, from Panasonic’s partnership with Reclaim Energy. Four and six kilowatt outdoor units matched to 250, 315 or 400 litre tanks in glass-lined or stainless steel, with Wi-Fi monitoring. On Solar Victoria’s locally made list, so it attracts the higher rebate.
Haier
One-piece Monoblock units in 200, 250 and 330 litres, running on R290 refrigerant with a global warming potential of 3, one of the lowest available. Installs the way an electric storage heater does, which is a large part of why it costs less to put in.
Earthworker
Built in Morwell by a worker-owned cooperative, in marine-grade stainless steel with a recycled plastic outer case. On Solar Victoria’s locally made list, so it attracts the higher rebate. A locally built system and a larger rebate is a rare combination.
Stiebel Eltron
German-engineered heat pumps, and the brand Simon spent more than a decade with as National Service and Training Manager before starting this business. Solar Victoria eligible and generates VEECs and STCs, but it sits on the general product list rather than the locally made one, so the rebate is the standard one rather than the higher one.
Thermann
Heat pumps in 200 and 300 litre sizes, widely available through plumbing trade supply, which matters when a system has failed and the household needs hot water this week rather than next. On Solar Victoria’s locally made list, so it attracts the higher rebate.
Aquatech
Heat pump hot water systems we install regularly across both residential jobs and partner programs.
On the higher rebate: Solar Victoria keeps a separate list for systems with substantial local content, and products on it attract a bigger rebate than the general list. Reclaim Energy, Panasonic, Earthworker and Thermann are on it. Stiebel Eltron, Haier and Aquatech are on the general list, not the local content one. If the system that suits your house is on the general list we will say so, and tell you what the difference is worth, rather than letting you find out later. More on rebates.
Reclaim and Panasonic
Why two of these are really one system
Comparing quotes, you will see Reclaim Energy and Panasonic listed separately and reasonably wonder whether that is two products or one. It is worth explaining, because nobody else does.
In October 2023 the two companies announced an exclusive partnership, Panasonic’s first collaboration of its kind outside Japan. Panasonic builds the CO2 compressor. Reclaim Energy, an Australian-owned engineering company with more than twenty years in heat pumps, designs the system around it, and the tanks are manufactured in Australia, in stainless steel or glass lined.
That Australian tank manufacture is not a marketing detail. Solar Victoria’s local content list requires at least half of a product to be made or assembled here, and it is the reason this range qualifies for the higher rebate rather than the standard one.
Sizing follows the household rather than the house. Because it is a split system, the compressor can go where the noise will not bother anyone and the tank can go where it makes sense, which is the whole argument for a split in the first place.
Who does what
- Compressor built by Panasonic in Japan
- System engineered by Reclaim Energy, Australian owned
- Tanks made in Australia, stainless or glass lined
- On Solar Victoria’s local content list
- 250 litres suits up to four people
- 315 litres up to six, 400 litres for eight or more
What is different about it
- Built in Morwell, in the Latrobe Valley
- Worker-owned cooperative, solar-powered factory
- Grey outer case 100 per cent recycled plastic
- Merino outer case 20 per cent recycled
- Marine-grade stainless, no anode to replace
- 160, 250, 315 and 420 litre tanks
Earthworker Energy
Made in Morwell, in a factory owned by the people working in it
Earthworker Energy Manufacturing Cooperative builds its tanks in Morwell, in the Latrobe Valley, in a worker-run and solar-powered factory, as part of a broader network of cooperative social enterprises. That is unusual enough in hot water to be worth saying plainly.
The outer casing is made from recycled plastic, 100 per cent recycled on the grey tanks and 20 per cent on the merino. It is not decoration. The polymer case adds insulation, so less heat is lost while the tank is just standing there, and unlike a steel jacket it cannot rust.
The cylinder itself is marine-grade stainless steel, which matters for a reason most people are never told. A stainless tank has no sacrificial anode. A conventional enamel-lined tank contains a metal rod that corrodes on purpose to protect the steel, and it has to be replaced periodically or the tank fails early. There is nothing there to forget about.
Tanks come in 160, 250, 315 and 420 litres. Earthworker publish a 15 year tank warranty, subject to water quality conditions.
Haier
The well-priced way in, and where it does not compromise
Haier sits below the CO2 split systems on price, and it is worth being straight about why, because it is not that you are getting less system.
The Monoblock is a one-piece unit and it installs the way an electric storage heater does. Where it is replacing an old electric tank in the same spot, there is usually little to change in the pipework. Less time on site is less cost on the quote, and that is most of the difference.
Where it does not compromise is the refrigerant. The Monoblock runs on R290, which has a global warming potential of 3. Most heat pumps on the market use R134A at 1430, or R32 at 675. On that measure Haier is near the front of the field, and only CO2 does better.
The inner tank uses a triple-layer protection tested to 160,000 cycles, the 200 and 250 litre sit at 43 decibels at a metre and the 330 at 47, and it holds performance down to minus 7 degrees, which Melbourne is never going to trouble. The SmartHQ app shifts heating into off-peak hours, or prioritises your own solar if you have it.
One thing to know before you pick the spot. Unlike a stainless tank, the Haier has a sacrificial anode that needs checking and replacing roughly every five years, and it needs about a metre of clear space above it so that can be done. If the only position that fits is under a low soffit, we will tell you before install day rather than after.
Monoblock at a glance
- 200, 250 and 330 litre one-piece units
- R290 refrigerant, global warming potential of 3
- Installs like an electric storage heater
- Holds performance from minus 7 to 45 degrees
- SmartHQ app, off-peak and solar PV modes
- Anode check every five years, 1m clearance above
How we choose
Four things a system has to do before we will install it
We are not trying to carry every brand on the market. A system earns a place on this list by doing all four of these, not three.
Quality that holds up
We service what we install, for years afterwards. A system that fails early costs us more than it ever made us, which is a strong incentive to be fussy up front.
Real energy efficiency
Heat pumps are not equally efficient, and the difference shows up on a bill rather than in a brochure. Efficiency is a selection criterion here, not a marketing line.
Lower running costs for you
The point of the upgrade is what the system costs to run once we have left. A cheaper unit that costs more every quarter is not the cheaper unit.
Better for the environment
Getting a household off gas, or off an old electric storage unit, is one of the larger emissions decisions most people will make. We would rather install systems that make that decision worth making.
The real question
All-in-one or split, before you worry about the badge
People arrive at brand comparisons first and form factor second. It is usually the wrong way around, because the shape of the system determines more about how happy you will be with it than the name on the front.
An all-in-one puts compressor and tank in one unit. Simpler, usually cheaper, wants a decent spot outside with airflow. About 1.5 to 2.5 hours to install on a standard job.
A split system separates them, so the part that makes noise can go somewhere sensible and the tank can sit closer to the bathrooms. More work to install, about 2.5 to 3.5 hours on a standard job, and the right answer when position matters.
Tell us where your current unit is and what is on the other side of that wall, and we will tell you which shape we would put on the house before we get anywhere near a brand.
What decides the recommendation
- Where the existing unit sits
- What is on the other side of that wall
- Distance from the tank to the bathrooms
- Household size and hot water pattern
- Switchboard and circuit capacity
- Your budget, stated plainly
Questions
About the systems themselves
Which brand is best?
There is no single answer, and anyone who gives you one is selling something. The right system depends on where it has to go, how much hot water the household uses and what you are spending. That is why we ask about the house before we talk about the badge.
Do you install brands that are not on this list?
For partner and program work we install whatever the client supplies, and we service heat pump systems of most brands. For our own supply-and-install work we deliberately keep to a short list.
Can I supply my own unit?
For solar retailers, energy companies and programs, installation-only is a standard part of what we do. For homeowners it depends on the system and the warranty position, so ask us.
Next step
Not sure which system suits your house?
Send a few photos and tell us how many people are in the household. We will tell you what we would install and why.