Rheem Australia’s focus to provide Australian families with efficient hot water solutions has been recognised with the Rheem Ambiheat HDc-270 heat pump winning the Canstar Blue Innovation Excellence Award – Home Appliances 2023.

Each year, Australia's trusted and leading comparison site, Canstar Blue rates a selected group of newly released products. The Innovation Excellence Awards consider the degree of innovation, how unique and disruptive the solution is in the current market as well as the impact on the target segment. Judged by research experts using set criteria and methodology, the Canstar Blue awards are designed to help consumers make more informed purchasing decisions. These help consumers navigate crowded industries to find products, services and brands that have stood out for either customer satisfaction or value for money.

Heat pumps are a smart, energy efficient and cost-effective approach to water heating. They use the heat in the surrounding atmosphere, acting like a reverse cycle air conditioner ensuring homes have a steady supply of hot water. They use less energy than traditional electric water heaters and are eligible for federal and state government rebates and incentives.

With over 80 years of manufacturing and hot water innovation, Rheem has continuously invested in water heating energy efficient technologies to help Australians reduce energy consumption. Years of research and development resulted in the Ambiheat heat pump.

“With domestic hot water needs responsible for around one quarter of household energy use, investing in an Ambiheat heat pump is a smart way for Australians to reduce their energy consumption as Ambiheat has been designed to reduce the energy required to heat water by up to 70 to 75 per cent[1],” says John Collignon – Director Marketing, from Rheem Australia. 

Designed and manufactured in Australia, there are several benefits, which give the Ambiheat an edge:  

  • High coefficient of performance (COP): Among best-in-class energy efficiency with a COP of up to 4.5.[2]
  • High heating capacity: Provides users with plenty of hot water for both residential and commercial applications (4kW heating capacity). 
  • Superior recovery rate: Provides one of the highest equivalent recovery rates at 77 litres per hour with a rise in temperature of 45°C. 
  • Microchannel technology: Improves heat transfer, enabling quicker heating and more tank coverage resulting in accelerated hot water delivery and increased efficiency when compared to conventional coil-around-tank designs.
  • Enamel-lined water tank: Enhances durability using Rheem’s enamel technology, which helps in resisting corrosion and allows for installation within a wider range of water chemistry. 
  • Smart LED controller display: Gives the user easy access to information with touch screen-enabled control panel enabling simple system management and monitoring.

The Ambiheat can efficiently work in temperatures from -5°C to +43°. It can typically be installed in the same location as an outdoor electric water heater and connected to the existing plumbing and electrical connections.

[1] Energy savings of up to and between 70% and 75% in Zone 1 to 5 on hot water energy consumption when replacing an electric water heater (min 16 hours/day Zone 1 - 75%, Zone 2 - 73%, Zone 3 - 73%, Zone 4 - 71% and Zone 5 - 70%. Energy savings are based on Australian Government approved TRNSYS simulation modelling using a medium load in Zone 3 and apply when replacing a storage electric water heater of similar size with a Rheem Ambiheat heat pump water heater. Any savings will vary depending upon your location, type of water heater being replaced, hot water consumption and fuel tariff.

[2] A COP of 4.5 was measured under test conditions with an ambient air temperature of 19˚C/15˚C (Dry Bulb/Wet Bulb) and heating of the water from 15˚C to 60˚C during water heater operation.