Think heat pumps can't provide radiant heat? Well think again, not only can they do that but the Daikin Nexura can provide convective heating, cooling and filter the air as well, in short it is the heating option that spells the end for hydronic heating as the best option to heat your home.
Hydronic heating was considered a premium home heating option by many in the past, but does it still stack up with modern heat pump options today? The answer in every single category is no, modern heat pumps in the form of the Daikin Nexura now have a decisive advantage over hydronic heating, a fact that isn't well known. This article breaks down how the revolutionary Daikin Nexura has won the battle of the heating systems.
Heat Quality
Heat quality can be thought of as the effect each option has on the home environment when in operation. A reason some people used to choose hydronic heating is they like the radiant heat it produces; this is qualitatively different to convective heat produced by typical AC units or gas central heating. However not even here does hydronic have an advantage as the Daikin Nexura has a radiant heat mode which activates a radiant heat panel providing the same radiant heat as hydronic but with the option to switch to conventional AC heating if so desired.
Indoor air quality
Hydronic was considered much better than gas central heating for indoor air quality as it did not result in dust being blown into the house from a centralised vent system. No longer does hydronic stack up against options such as the Daikin Nexura (or many other AC units) which have built in air purification filters.
Running costs
Most hydronic heating uses a gas boiler which is at most 80% efficient, COP 0.8 versus the Daikin Nexura COP 4.5 - more than 500% more efficient, and that's before the system wide losses in running a hydronic set up with long run times to reach set point. Although some manufacturers produce a heat pump version for hydronic with claimed COP 4 efficiency at the boiler, once you account for the system wide long running time of a hydronic set up, you're well ahead with a Nexura radiant heat pump.
Installation cost
Any hydronic customer will know the installation costs are exorbitant with typical systems > $30000 as well as the need for cooling infrastructure. Running metres and metres of piping, it's a plumber's dream!! Once you account for cooling infrastructure as well since hydronic heating doesn't provide this, you can expect fork out more than $40000. Why does this when you can install 4x Daikin Nexura radiant heating (and cooling) units for well under half this price (and the added the bonus of cooling) - you're well ahead.
System performance and other issues
Hydronic heating has another issue that irks some people, up to 30 minutes to respond with significant heat once you turn on the tap, whereas a Nexura system takes only minutes to ramp up heat output. Hydronic heaters require more complex infrastructure which leads issues of pipes bursting, especially annoying if it happens to under floor heating as the floor often needs to be replaced (at your cost - the plumber is dancing for joy). Modern AC units have demonstrated an ability to last a long time with no issue.
There is no getting around it, the Daikin Nexura is a revolutionary heating option and the decisive winner when compared with hydronic heating; In the future, air not water will be the best option to heat and cool our homes.
Paul Szuster is an Executive Director of Pure Electric Solutions
