HRV NZ rant!!!

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › HRV NZ rant!!!

1 | 2 | 3

Mad Scientist
29768 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#1353415 28-Jul-2015 14:20

I jusT can't understand why things are so expensive in NZ. Period. Not just HRV.

ajw

1932 posts

Uber Geek

#1353427 28-Jul-2015 14:22

joker97: I jusT can't understand why things are so expensive in NZ. Period. Not just HRV.

Could be the word "Greed" comes into the equation.

sep11guy

660 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#1353446 28-Jul-2015 14:30

joker97: I jusT can't understand why things are so expensive in NZ. Period. Not just HRV.

low population, low demand, so you have to pay a premium .

everything boils to economies of scale.

a 55-60k car here you could get at about 27k in the usa ! 80 times the population, and hence the price.

stone2

120 posts

Master Geek

#1353466 28-Jul-2015 14:51

ajw:
joker97: I jusT can't understand why things are so expensive in NZ. Period. Not just HRV.

Could be the word "Greed" comes into the equation.

There are plenty of reasons but I tend to agree with the above. The markup on goods in NZ don't reflect the import costs at all.

Great to hear other people's experience's with HRV NZ.

mattwnz

20164 posts

Uber Geek

#1353487 28-Jul-2015 15:18

sep11guy:
joker97: I jusT can't understand why things are so expensive in NZ. Period. Not just HRV.

low population, low demand, so you have to pay a premium .

everything boils to economies of scale.

a 55-60k car here you could get at about 27k in the usa ! 80 times the population, and hence the price.

Maybe europeans, but doesn't seem to apply to the same degree, to Japanese ones. But also remember that NZ has different safety requirements.

One area where we pay a lot more is in building products. But that is mainly due to lack of competition. We also pay a lot more for tradespeople in NZ I have found.

scuwp

3885 posts

Uber Geek

#1353548 28-Jul-2015 16:22

We looked at these a couple of years ago. HRV was aggressive and relentless salesmanship. Put us right off the product. Even if they had the best system I think we would avoid them on principle. Have only just yesterday installed a Smart Vent system. No baloney, just a realistic assessment and even talked us out of parts of the system that we though we needed. I can buy and install any parts of the system I want including the filters. Seems to be doing the job nicely. Highly recommended.

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

jmh

458 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1353561 28-Jul-2015 16:38

Sounds like our local branch of HRV are slipping. I moved into my house a year ago and it already had HRV fitted. I've never had it before. About 2 months ago the light came on saying I needed new filters so I gave them a call. They looked up their records and said that I wasn't due to have them changed until December, so they talked me through how to turn the light off. I will probably have them round to fit new filters next time and watch what they do. I hear that it's not that hard to do it yourself.

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

gzt

17149 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1353576 28-Jul-2015 17:13

Stone2: NOW though I received an email from them stating that they are now discontinuing their current HRV systems and are no longer able to support their existing customers who have older HRV systems installed..

The way I read that is:

a) an HRV service person will refuse to service it, and
b) replacement parts are no longer available so you are crying alone if something breaks and
c) consumables are no longer available so you cannot even maintain it

The first is irresponsible at the least and possibly a lot worse and then no parts for a 4y/o system?

No repeat customers or recommendations for them.

It looks like a scare tactic. Care to reproduce this letter verbatim so we can make an informed judgement based on exactly what was said?

raytaylor

4017 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1353696 28-Jul-2015 19:18

Consumer guarantees act.
Can the next person who gets a sales call please ask them this question

"What is the reasonable expected life of the product"
For example. A washing machine is 3 years. (Gentle Annie lasts about 15 years)

In NZ the consumer guarantees act covers you for the reasonable expected life of the product.

If they stopped supplying parts then thats a big no-no. They need to supply parts for the reasonable expected life of the product.

We have had an HRV system installed in our house since 2008. I think we have replaced the filters once. I use the flashing filter light to see down the hallway at night when i get up to use the loo.

Just use the filters on trademe and replace them yourself or get any electrician to.

Ray Taylor

There is no place like localhost

Spreadsheet for Comparing Electricity Plans Here

mattwnz

20164 posts

Uber Geek

#1355394 30-Jul-2015 16:03

I had an alternative brand in my old house, and that was close on 20 years old. But it was switched off most of the time as it wasn't too effective apart from pumping in cold air from the roof space, into the warm room during the winter. You could literally feel the cold draft from it.

Hammerer

2476 posts

Uber Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#1355402 30-Jul-2015 16:32

I have always been reluctant to deal with a company that has a misleading name. "Heat Recovery Ventilation" normally meant a cross-flow heat exchanger that would extract heat from the exhaust air to heat the incoming fresh air. That was something that their products did not do. I know of people who they dealt with who never realised that was not what they were going to get. While they may now have products with that capability, I am still averse to dealing with them.

Like most of the other ventilation firms they also overstated the possibility and benefits of obtaining warmer air from the attic.

jonathan18

7413 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#1355702 31-Jul-2015 09:11

Hammerer: Like most of the other ventilation firms they also overstated the possibility and benefits of obtaining warmer air from the attic.

Totally. I've heard very few heating and ventilation experts recommending positive air pressure systems like these. One of the biggest flaws in the concept of course is the air in the roof space is usually too cold in winter (when you want heating) and the reverse in summer. I've read that sticking a heater in the chain doesn't address the flaws.

Finally NZ seems to be starting to catch on to proper balanced systems with heat recovery, so hopefully the cost of these systems will come down. I've read on another forum that some of the recovery systems sold here are far less efficient than what's available in Europe, so hopefully that too will change over time.

And as to HRV, they really seem no be using every dodgy sales technique developed by door-to-door salespeople, but I'm surprised there hasn't been more public outcry about this - eg has Fair Go reported on HRV? (I've had the calls from them but end them quickly as I'd never consider such a system.)

raytaylor

4017 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1355713 31-Jul-2015 09:24

I dont think it was HRV but fair go has had a couple of stories on heat recovery systems

Ray Taylor

There is no place like localhost

Spreadsheet for Comparing Electricity Plans Here

alasta

6706 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Subscriber

#1355773 31-Jul-2015 10:18

jonathan18: And as to HRV, they really seem no be using every dodgy sales technique developed by door-to-door salespeople, but I'm surprised there hasn't been more public outcry about this - eg has Fair Go reported on HRV? (I've had the calls from them but end them quickly as I'd never consider such a system.)

Campbell Live covered it a year or two ago.

jonathan18

7413 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#1355808 31-Jul-2015 10:51

alasta:
jonathan18: And as to HRV, they really seem no be using every dodgy sales technique developed by door-to-door salespeople, but I'm surprised there hasn't been more public outcry about this - eg has Fair Go reported on HRV? (I've had the calls from them but end them quickly as I'd never consider such a system.)

Campbell Live covered it a year or two ago.

Thanks for this - appears to be back in 2012, but it seems like nothing's improved going by this thread.

http://www.3news.co.nz/tvshows/campbelllive/bullied-by-sales-people-2012103117#axzz3hPxzaTP7

http://www.3news.co.nz/tvshows/campbelllive/more-complaints-of-hrv-bullying-2012120415#axzz3hPxzaTP7

1 | 2 | 3