Relatively new to the Australian market, Reclaim Energy introduced their first line of CO2 Hot Water Heat Pumps in 2019. The company’s products have quickly been adopted by Australian homeowners and businesses looking to save money on utility expenses with green energy technology.
Reclaim Energy is known for:
- Producing Highly Efficient CO2 Hot Water Heat Pumps
- Bringing Japanese Technology to Australia
- Debuting the World’s First Unique Patented Technology Compressor (Q-TON)
- And Quickly Becoming a Trusted Brand Name in the Domestic Hot Water Industry
Verdict
For those looking to lower their carbon footprint and their utility bills, Reclaim Energy offers some of Australia’s best hot water heat pump systems. Their products are extremely efficient, with short payback periods and tremendous financial savings.
Ultimately, a Reclaim Energy CO2 Hot Water Heat Pump is great for any homeowner in Australia. The system has the efficiency and materials to operate in any domestic climate, and has the savings potential to pay for itself in as little as 2 years.
Whereas they may not be the cheapest upfront option for heating a building’s water, Reclaim Energy systems can be extremely valuable to homes and businesses with large utility gas expenses. Furthermore, interconnecting a PV solar energy system to power a Reclaim heat pump’s electronic components is an even more environmentally and financially-friendly way to heat your property’s water.
All in all, Reclaim Energy has developed promising, well-performing products with their new CO2 Hot Water Heat Pump systems. Although their current offerings are strong, Reclaim Energy’s youth also make it an exciting company to look out for in the development of future product lines.
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Reclaim Energy – Company Background
Reclaim Energy is based in Byron Bay, New South Wales and is a relatively new brand name in the Australian hot water heater industry. With that being said, Reclaim’s website touts “over 14 years’ experience at the forefront of innovative, environmentally friendly hot water systems.”
So here’s the full story:
- In 2005, Chris Taylor started the company Apricus Australia, which serves domestic, commercial, industrial hot water clients.
- Over the next decade, Apricus grew a network of over 1,000 resellers and service agents for their innovative evacuated tube solar hot water.
- In 2016, Apricus signed a Research & Development partnership agreement for CO2 heat pump development, and Reclaim Energy was born.
- After spending over two years developing the technology, Reclaim Energy introduces their “Transcritical” CO2 heat pump to the Australian Market.
So although Reclaim Energy was founded in 2016, their products come with the background of over a decade of hands-on industry experience. In fact, Reclaim Energy’s technology is largely based on a similar Japanese system introduced in 2001. Of course, Reclaim’s variant has been specifically engineered to operate efficiently in all climate conditions.
Products/Product Ranges
As a relatively new manufacturer, Reclaim Energy does not offer the wide product ranges offered by some of its competitors. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing.
Reclaim has put in the time to develop extremely reliable, “one-size-fits-all” heat pump hot water solutions for both residential and commercial instances. In doing so, the manufacturer makes it incredibly easy to adopt a green energy system for lowering the cost of electricity.
Reclaim Energy Heat Pump (Residential)
Since its launch in 2019, the Reclaim Energy Heat Pump has quickly become one of Australia’s largest players in the residential hot water industry. Beyond having the highest coefficient of performance (COP) in the market, there are a few key features that can be highlighted in Reclaim’s debut product.
Water Tank Shape & Material Options
Although the technology behind the system is consistent, Reclaim offers both stainless steel and glass lined enamel options which cater to specific Australian water conditions. A glass lined tank has an enamel coating, which allows it to operate with all water types and in extreme weather conditions. Alternatively, the stainless steel tanks come in tall and squat options, which work well in all non-high mineral water regions.
Water Tank Capacity Size Options
Of course, the “one-size-fits-all” description for Reclaim’s products refers to the system technology, rather than the actual size of the water tank.
As the number of people living at home in Australian residences may vary, Reclaim Energy offers water tanks in the following sizes:
- 160L
- 250L
- 315L (this is the most popular option)
Smart Controller Options
Operationally, Reclaim offers 5 different modes for optimizing a hot water tank’s performance, which can easily be controlled by the heat pump controller.
- There is a default mode which runs 24/7
- two “off-peak” modes to shave energy use overnight,
- a solar PV integration preset
- and a way to fully customize the operating schedule
Single Shot Boost
No, we’re not talking about your morning espresso. Reclaim Energy’s heat pumps come with a “single shot” or “one shot” boost button to ensure that there is always hot water available in a residence.
Low Operating Noise
Reclaim Hot Water Heat Pumps operate at an average noise level of 37 dB. To give an idea of how quiet this is, a whisper is rated at 30 dB, while normal conversational speech is rated at 60 dB. Essentially, Reclaim systems are just slightly louder than a whisper.
Q-TON Commercial Heat Pump
For large-scale applications, Reclaim Energy has introduced the Q-TON, which uses the world’s first unique patented technology compressor to deliver high volume hot water results. Q-TON Commercial Heat Pumps are great for businesses and buildings that use a significant amount of hot water.
Retail companies such as spas and restaurants require an enormous amount of hot water, which can be extremely expensive using utility-provided power. Likewise, apartment buildings, hotels, universities, care homes, and other condensed living buildings use a lot of hot water among the tenants.
Advanced Technology
The system utilizes a two-stage compressor which combines rotary and scroll technology to deliver the best of both worlds. The Q-TON operates efficiently down to a temperature of -7°C, making it one of the most commercially viable hot water heat pump systems in every part of the country. Additionally, Q-TON’s tanks are able to maintain full capacity in temperatures as low as -25°C.
Meeting Going Green Initiatives
Compared to traditional gas use, the Q-TON eviscerates a company’s carbon footprint from the first day of operation. Although the CO2 used does emit a small amount of harmful gases with global warming potential, there are no ozone depleting gases involved. Q-TON commercial heat pumps also qualify businesses for federal and local rebates and incentives for adopting green technologies.
System Efficiency & Financial Savings
Even at scale, Reclaim Energy maintains an impressive coefficient of performance as the Q-TON has an industry-leading COP of 4.3. This allows a business or organization to significantly reduce the monthly utility cost to heat the building’s water. Once the system has paid for itself, it also continues to generate essentially free energy from the ambient air around the building.
Accounts In the Wild (Screenshots)
Despite its short lifetime (since 2019), Reclaim Energy’s systems have begun to garner many positive reviews from customers. What is even more impressive however, is that the brand has been receiving almost exclusively positive feedback.
Here is a quick snapshot of the feedback shared from customers after using Reclaim Energy’s hot water heat pumps:
Performance Notes–How does it stack up where it actually matters?
Reclaim’s products stack up very well within many key aspects of performance when compared to other hot water systems (Unsurprising after their years of research and development).
Coefficient of Performance (COP)
The coefficient of performance (COP) is one of the main things to consider when analyzing a hot water heater’s technical aspects. The COP is essentially used to measure system efficiency, as it compares the energy a heat pump produces to the amount of operating energy required to do so. It is measured by dividing the system’s energy output by its input.
Here, Reclaim Energy’s are among the industry’s best. Their residential heat pump has a COP of 4.5% and the commercial system claims an industry-leading 4.3%. What this means is that Reclaim Energy’s systems produce over four times as much energy as they consume. Compared to competitive systems, the high COP of Reclaim’s heat pumps make them one of the most efficient options on the market.
Utility Cost Savings
Ultimately, the efficiency of a system is going to dramatically affect the overall performance, and therefore financial savings that a heat pump can deliver. With high COPs and easy PV solar tie-ins, Reclaim Energy’s Hot Water Heat Pumps can contribute to extreme savings on monthly household utility expenses.
When compared to electric heat pumps with storage batteries, Reclaim’s CO2 systems use significantly less electricity to run. Reclaim’s five different operating modes also make it easy to optimize tank functions to align with tariffs, usage habits, and PV solar systems.
With all of these factors considered, Reclaim Energy’s Hot Water Heat Pumps have extremely low payback periods. Plus, most of the system runs on free air, which continues to save homeowners on their utility costs for years after the installation.
Water Tank Shape, Size, and Material
There is no doubt that Reclaim’s products are of premium quality. Both their stainless steel and glass lined enamel options come with superior durability and a warranty to prove it. Although they may be a bit more expensive upfront, Reclaim Energy water tanks are much more likely to outlive their plastic alternatives.
Beyond the material, Reclaim’s water tank options are largely similar to what is available on the market. As the company has strong ties to a large network of distributors, different capacity tanks can be sourced relatively easily. Reclaim also offers squat and tall versions of the tank to appeal to different property requirements for existing or constructed homes.
System Component Warranties
Of course, a great hot water heat pump can only be as good as the experience it provides the owner. Even if a system is built well, limited user control, short warranties, or frequent malfunctions will lead to an overall, unfavorable lifespan.
Here, Reclaim Energy is competitive, but perhaps not the best available option on the market. Reclaim’s residential systems come with a six year warranty on the heat pump and a 15 year warranty on stainless steel tanks. For glass lined tanks, the warranty only lasts for 10 years and requires an inspection every three years.
Comparatively, Reclaim Energy’s warranties are fair, but not outstanding. Perhaps the technology is too new to ensure anything past a six year period, which is basically the standard for premium hot water heat pumps. That being said, companies like Rheem offer cylinder warranties of up to 12 years, double that of Reclaim Energy’s.
Value
In terms of upfront cost, Reclaim Energy does not offer the most affordable systems on the market. Instead, the company uses premium components to drive down operational costs and save users more money on utility expenses overtime.
Whereas some people are less inclined to invest in a new technology, if you are experiencing high gas bills to heat your home’s water, a Reclaim Energy system offers a tremendous amount of value. The extreme financial savings of Reclaim Energy’s efficient hot water systems allow for a short payback period and years of cheaper energy.
Warranty/Service/Support
Since only 2019, Reclaim Energy has been gaining a reputation as a high-quality product manufacturer. Because of their short lifespan thus far, Reclaim’s heat pumps have not been around along enough for anyone to experience a full product life cycle.
In this sense, no matter how well their systems are performing, Reclaim Energy’s products lack the time-tested technology possessed by some of their competitors. With that being said, Reclaim has sunk a tremendous amount of time into developing their products and offer highly competitive warranties on their system components.
The residential heat pump system warranties are as follows:
- Heat Pump Warranty – 6 Years Parts
- Glass Lined Enamel Water Tank – 10 Years Parts
- Stainless Steel Water Tank – 15 Years Parts
- Controller – 2 Years Parts
- Valves – 1 Year Parts
Beyond this, labor warranties are largely going to be dependent on the location and business of the Reclaim Energy supplier. In general, the Reclaim Energy’s CO2 Hot Water Heat Pumps have 6 year labor warranties, while all of the other components are generally limited to warranty periods of 2 years.
If any issue arises with a Reclaim Energy system, owners are required to contact the dealer that installed the system to provide the necessary service. If they are unavailable, the company can be contacted directly at 1300 383 815.
Frequently Asked Questions
Still looking for more information on Reclaim Energy’s hot water heat pump products? Here are the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the company’s offerings.
Why does Reclaim Energy us CO2 as a Refrigerant? Is it Safe?
Reclaim Energy uses CO2 to power their heat pumps because it has significantly less environmental impact than other refrigerants. CO2 is extremely thermodynamic and does not contain any working parts that affect ozone layer depletion.
Can I Integrate My Solar with a Reclaim Energy Hot Water Heat Pump?
Yes and no. Reclaim Energy can be integrated with PV solar electricity systems to run the heat pump’s electrical components. On the other hand, Reclaim Energy’s Hot Water Heat Pumps cannot be used in conjunction with thermal solar energy systems.
How do I Register my Reclam Energy Hot Water Heat Pump Warranty?
All information on the specifications and process of registering a Reclaim Energy warranty can be found on their website’s warranty page.
Bottom Line
At the end of the day, a Reclaim Energy Hot Water Heat Pump is a great investment for nearly every Australian home. Despite being a relatively new brand name, Reclaim Energy’s products have a strong technical foundation and are already being used by plenty of satisfied early adopters.
If you aren’t sure if Reclaim Energy’s products are the best fit, you can check out our Best Hot Water Heat Pumps article to see a handful of highly recommended alternatives.