Heat pumps (also known as reverse cycle air conditioners) are by far the most efficient form of electric heating, achieving efficiencies at least three times greater than other heaters.
Below is a comparison of heater types, calculated to heat a typical Tasmanian living area to give the best ‘apples-to-apples’ comparison possible:
|
Heat pump |
Other hardwired electric heater |
Plug-in electric heater |
Wood heater (highly efficient model) |
Natural gas (pipe connection) |
LPG (bottles) |
|
|
Efficiency (%) |
300% |
98% |
98% |
77% |
81% |
81% |
|
Total cost averaged over 10 years ($/year) |
$561 |
$1,108 |
$1,691 |
$580 |
$1,022 |
$1,945 |
|
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2-eq/year) |
471 |
1,526 |
1,526 |
from 76 up to 6,888 [1] |
1,483 |
1,730 |
|
Ease of use |
Easy |
Easy |
Easy |
Difficult [2] |
Easy |
Easy |
|
No local air pollution |
Yes |
Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
|
Can also provide cooling |
Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
|
Fuel consumption per year |
2,049 kWh | 6,633 kWh | 6,633 kWh | 1.9 tonnes | 10.2 MJ | 1156 L |
|
Fuel price |
15.2c/kWh | 15.2c/kWh | 25.2c/kWh | $150/tonne | $0.02844/MJ | $1.51/L |
|
Energy consumption (kWh/year) |
1,707 | 6,633 | 6,633 | 8,398 | 8,025 | 8,025 |
|
Energy price (c/kWh) |
15.20c | 15.20c | 25.20c | 3.33c | 10.24c | 21.74c |
|
Running cost ($/year) |
$311 | $1,008 | $1,671 | $280 | $822 | $1,745 |
|
Upfront purchase & installation cost ($) |
$2,500 | $1,000 | $200 | $3,000 | $2,000 | $2,000 |
Disclaimer: These figures are based on research by Sustainable Living Tasmania as at September 2015 and are based on heating on an averaged size home and a range of commercially available heaters.
Heat pump numbers were updated December 2015 with a more conservative estimate of heat pump efficiency.
[1] Depends on whether trees are replaced or not.
[2] Requires ordering, stacking, splitting and carrying wood; setting and lighting fire; and cleaning out ash trap.
For further information go to our Ecohomeguide blog