We are just starting the build process in Auckland and the designer has put in gas bottles as our heating for the hot water (not using gas for cooking). We will be on tank water and there is 6 in the family. I have received both positive and negative feedback on gas and now I don't know what to do! Your help and experiences would be most appreciated. Thanks in advance
justinian1,
Oct 10, 11:19am
We're on gas bottles at the moment just for the hot water (family of five - but three kids aged 1 to 6). They were quite good at the start when there were just the two of us, but we go through about a bottle a month now. A single bottle change is about $116, with an annual rental around $130.
I'm considering a swap to a hot water cylinder as I've seen some suggestions online that they're cheaper to run when you have a bigger family. We are on a town water supply though, which might make a difference?
I'll be interested to hear other peoples experiences as well!
tweake,
Oct 10, 11:40am
is the gas tank or tankless ? gas is one of the most expensive forms of energy. tho tank-less can save a bit which claws it back. however for a big family i would be looking at a heat pump hot water system. its pricey up front but its the cheapest in use and with big family you use hot water a lot.
ceba,
Oct 10, 11:56am
Yes gas tanks. Is the heat pump system continuous? Thanks
tweake,
Oct 10, 12:47pm
heat pump systems store water in a tank. there is a couple of different systems available. some have the heat pump built completely on the tank and can be used inside or outside. others have a split heat pump unit (like our normal heat pumps) so the tank can be indoors and the rest of it is outdoors. one thing i would check is how it connects to controlled mains. you may need some extra wiring.
harm_less,
Oct 10, 2:39pm
Electric HWC can be used as an energy storage unit for solar generation if you have any intentions in that regard. When a PV system has a power diverter included HWC storage of excess generation can make the whole system very cost effective, with cheap hot water.
any hot water cylinder with a spare element location can use power direct from solar panels without the issues of overheating that conventional solar hot water has. something worth planning for.
strathview,
Oct 10, 3:30pm
If you have teenagers don't get gas. At least with electric when the water cylinder gets cold they stop the shower. If you have gas they keep going until they drain the gas bottle.
We just got a new electric HWC installed (with high pressure - YAY! ) as our old low pressure one was leaky. Did the research into gas, heat pump and standard electric, and chose electric. No time to go into it all (getting ready for work!) but we're happy. With electric we also had the choice between stainless steel or vitreous enamel (so many choices lol!) and chose SS - slightly dearer but longer lasting apparently, and has a longer warranty to match.
kacy5,
Oct 10, 6:09pm
Friend went from electric to gas and now regrets it. I can't remember why.
kacy5,
Oct 10, 6:14pm
Whether gas or electric hot water you will still get electrical fires especially from idiots who won't spend money to get an Electrician in and think they can do it themselves.
supernova2,
Oct 10, 11:08pm
Just wondering about the amount of water you are going to use if you are on tank supply. Gas is high pressure water so you are going to be chewing though a lot of water. It might be better to stick with the old fashioned low pressure electric cylinder in your particular situation. If it weren't for the tank supply I'd be going gas every time. There is no comparison. Speaking from experience if you do go instant gas make sure that the unit is as close as possible to the kitchen sink.
blueviking,
Oct 11, 6:29am
the outdoor gas HWC doesn't need an electrical outlet. The lighter is a spark igniter. I recently replaced my outside one. No power point available , so couldn't go to a continuous system.Re installed the same. Will do 400ltr the 1st hr.My wife had a shower 1/2hr after it was turned on.But i'm on piped gas, which is probably a bit cheaper than bottle.And I'd go gas cooktop all the time.
snapperheadrkp,
Oct 11, 10:51am
Electric here. Our Hot Water in KW is 26% of our Bill. BUT in cost it is 14% (@ controlled $ rate) If you have trouble with the electric hot water not heating enough, Your Power Company will disconnect the Ripple Control (BUT you will pay full rates for your hot water I have never seen the sense in Bottled Gas and 2 lots of supply charges (or bottle hire) You have to have electricity for lighting and most appliances. If I was building from scratch I would take a good look at all the different electric instant Shower Units
tweake,
Oct 11, 11:02am
the good ones do. especially if you want adjustable temp from the keypad in the bathroom/kitchen.
tweake,
Oct 11, 11:04am
trouble is they typically require rather large current draw and a lot of places here do not have big connections to the grid.
wembley1,
Oct 11, 12:03pm
Really? Your point being? (see below BTW).
I was simply pointing out discounting gas water heating because of one incident is a bit stupid when the alternative appears to be more dangerous.
But the only way you could really appraise safety was if you had statistics on the number of incidents per household connected per kW used.
wembley1,
Oct 11, 12:15pm
You can get "califonts" that don't require mains. Some with batteries and Bosch make a range that have a little turbine in the water flow that generates the electricity.
tygertung,
Oct 11, 3:38pm
Also gas has more emissions if you care about the environment and the future for your children, but some people don't care about that sort of thing.
alm1003,
Oct 12, 7:02am
We have had both gas bottle and electric cylinders on town supply. I hated the gas bottles and found it very expensive and inconvenient. I was always worried we would run out of gas. One thing about gas bottles you need to consider is how frequently your gas company delivers to your area. At first we had deliveries every day in our area but these were halved over time. Nothing worse than running out of gas and discovering it’s still a few days until they are next in your area. Or having to pop out to switch the gas bottles over with shampoo in your hair. We now have a huge hot water cylinder for a family of 5, including two teenagers. I don’t really understand how it works but it does have the capacity to heat hot water very quickly if we run low. I suspect it is awfully expensive to run though but I prefer it to our previous gas system. If I was on tank water I would be looking at a system that didn’t enable my teenagers to stand under the hot shower for ages!
majoba,
Oct 12, 11:20pm
Pro of gas is that provided you have to bottles and keep an eye on the indicator you will never have a cold shower. Until the power goes off. I sacrificed my electric HWC to utilise the floor space in my kitchen. Bottled gas is not cheap, my unit it not far from the kitchen and laundry but I feel I waste a tremendous amount of water waiting for it to run hot and if you turn of the shower even for a second or two there is then a stream of cold water when the water supply is turned on again. So all in all I regret making the change and I had underestimated how useful a hot water cupboard is. And after using gas for about 12 years I discovered that the red/empty indicator clicks up while there is still days worth of gas still in the tank.So i now keep the full tank regulator closed until the shower runs cold. That is annoying but not as annoying as all the gas I have paid for and not used over the last years.
joanie32,
Oct 13, 4:26pm
Stick to the basics Electric cylinder, sized right, thermostat set properly and insulated everything and you can’t go wrong. If you have a fire, a wet back is good too. Don’t go spending a shed load of money on the latest fad, you will never get your money back.
wine-o-clock,
Sep 20, 4:58pm
I never read the indicator. Just turn on one tank at a time
Since the public registrations are closed, you must have an invite from a current member to be able to register and post in this thread.
Have an account? Login here.