You've got some really good replies so far and really wish we'd done a lot more research before we pulled the trigger but rapidly approaching the first summer with a baby in a very airtight new build we went Panasonic ducted.
Regret is probably the best word to use. The Comfort Cloud app is rubbish and having gone way down the Smartthings path with Google integration there's very little we can do with Panasonic except voice control.
At the very least should have gone zoned to minimise the regret but with just being in the new house and a new baby there were too many demands on the budget. We live in a constant compromise trying to manage the temperatures of our bedroom and our daughter's bedroom which have ENE and WSW facing windows respectively.
timmmay: By turn off, I mean the outdoor unit goes completely quiet. The entire outdoor unit turns off, fan, compressor, everything.
With the air touch 4, if I have a single room enabled and set to 21° it heats until it reaches 21.5°, the outdoor unit turns off, then turns back on when the room drops to 20.5°. That scales to multiple rooms. There's a setting that influences that behavior deep in the AT installer settings, on/off of the outdoor unit can be based on room sensors, return vent sensors, or something else I don't recall.
so its running in on/off mode instead of variable, which is less efficient. the more oversized the unit is the more its runs in on/off mode, which costs more to run and has a higher purchase price. the only winner with oversized systems is the salesman.
kiwikurt: You've got some really good replies so far and really wish we'd done a lot more research before we pulled the trigger but rapidly approaching the first summer with a baby in a very airtight new build we went Panasonic ducted.
Regret is probably the best word to use. The Comfort Cloud app is rubbish and having gone way down the Smartthings path with Google integration there's very little we can do with Panasonic except voice control.
At the very least should have gone zoned to minimise the regret but with just being in the new house and a new baby there were too many demands on the budget. We live in a constant compromise trying to manage the temperatures of our bedroom and our daughter's bedroom which have ENE and WSW facing windows respectively.
Basically don't do Panasonic!
one thing to keep in mind kiwi homes (new) are generally not designed for heating/cooling. as long as they pass the rather low standard no attention is paid to the thermals. eg they will use the exact same windows on the north and south sides despite being completely different thermal loads.
kiwikurt: You've got some really good replies so far and really wish we'd done a lot more research before we pulled the trigger but rapidly approaching the first summer with a baby in a very airtight new build we went Panasonic ducted.
Regret is probably the best word to use. The Comfort Cloud app is rubbish and having gone way down the Smartthings path with Google integration there's very little we can do with Panasonic except voice control.
At the very least should have gone zoned to minimise the regret but with just being in the new house and a new baby there were too many demands on the budget. We live in a constant compromise trying to manage the temperatures of our bedroom and our daughter's bedroom which have ENE and WSW facing windows respectively.
Basically don't do Panasonic!
one thing to keep in mind kiwi homes (new) are generally not designed for heating/cooling. as long as they pass the rather low standard no attention is paid to the thermals. eg they will use the exact same windows on the north and south sides despite being completely different thermal loads.
The windows in general are just such a low point of new builds but that is our kiwi way. Double glazed aluminium without being thermally broken are still pretty rubbish. But we bought off the plan and knew we weren't getting perfect.
so its running in on/off mode instead of variable, which is less efficient. the more oversized the unit is the more its runs in on/off mode, which costs more to run and has a higher purchase price. the only winner with oversized systems is the salesman.
Yeah, it seems to be on/off most of the time, unless it's really cold and it can keep it steady on minimum power. I've only learned about things like this since I got the ducted heat pump. Good lesson for others, bigger isn't always better.
The 3kw high wall heat pump in my 3.5x2.5m office runs more continuously, but it has a much lower minimum power output.
kiwikurt: You've got some really good replies so far and really wish we'd done a lot more research before we pulled the trigger but rapidly approaching the first summer with a baby in a very airtight new build we went Panasonic ducted.
Regret is probably the best word to use. The Comfort Cloud app is rubbish and having gone way down the Smartthings path with Google integration there's very little we can do with Panasonic except voice control.
At the very least should have gone zoned to minimise the regret but with just being in the new house and a new baby there were too many demands on the budget. We live in a constant compromise trying to manage the temperatures of our bedroom and our daughter's bedroom which have ENE and WSW facing windows respectively.
Basically don't do Panasonic!
Oh dear, more nails in the panasonic coffin. Other than the shitty app and uneven temps (could this be an install/flow balancing issue?) is there anything innately bad with the Panasonic units? i.e noise, air flow, energy eff, heating/cooling ability?
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Did you read the thread that I linked you to in the third post? There is quite a lot of useful information in there.
I found Panasonic loud, both indoor and outdoor units, and it caused vibration in the house.
Uneven temperatures aren't a problem with a specific brand, that's going to happen with every ducted heat pump that doesn't have zones or room-based temperature control.
timmmay: Did you read the thread that I linked you to in the third post? There is quite a lot of useful information in there.
I found Panasonic loud, both indoor and outdoor units, and it caused vibration in the house.
Uneven temperatures aren't a problem with a specific brand, that's going to happen with every ducted heat pump that doesn't have zones or room-based temperature control.
Yes! yours was one of the first that pointed me in the right direction in regards to what to ask from the companies that quoted so many thanks for posting that explanation. we had EES, affordable energy solutions and oxygen air quote for job so far.
EES seem to be the front runner so far. Anyone had any experience with them ?
Also is it worth upgrading from the R1.0 insulated ducting they are offering? (R1.5?)
I suggest taking a step back and consider zoning / individual room control, or high real units. Without zoning / ITC you will probably be unhappy with the system. Highwall units are simpler and work well, but can be louder.
Standard ducting is R0.6, I paid to upgrade to R1.0 as some approximations I did suggested payback period was less than a year. I suspect R1.6 will also be worthwhile. If your ducting runs are short there's less benefit.
Just to give a positive for the Panasonic camp, I have a Panasonic S60PE installed by EES in 2016 so my experience may not match the complaints with bigger systems. But it has run without issues since install and we still use it almost everyday.
The indoor unit is quiet and outdoor unit is about as loud as expected, my outdoor unit is only one fan, I think the bigger systesm have two?
To be fair we struggled initially with getting the temperatures right. We dont have WiFi only the CZ-RTC5 wall controller.
The biggest benefit we found, was to stop using the Auto Fan Mode and set the fan speed to Low or Medium (generally Low is fine)
I've also changed the settings on the controller based on seeing some of the sensor details, also adjusted one of the manual damper outlets on the smallest bedroom to slighty reduce the airflow to that room. I've now got temps within 1degree in each room (5outlets) Also have the ENE/WSW rooms too.
But I agree with the others, get an installer that knows what they are doing, as timmay says, getting the balance/zones right is really important.
Just to give a positive for the Panasonic camp, I have a Panasonic S60PE installed by EES in 2016 so my experience may not match the complaints with bigger systems. But it has run without issues since install and we still use it almost everyday.
The indoor unit is quiet and outdoor unit is about as loud as expected, my outdoor unit is only one fan, I think the bigger systesm have two?
To be fair we struggled initially with getting the temperatures right. We dont have WiFi only the CZ-RTC5 wall controller.
The biggest benefit we found, was to stop using the Auto Fan Mode and set the fan speed to Low or Medium (generally Low is fine)
I've also changed the settings on the controller based on seeing some of the sensor details, also adjusted one of the manual damper outlets on the smallest bedroom to slighty reduce the airflow to that room. I've now got temps within 1degree in each room (5outlets) Also have the ENE/WSW rooms too.
But I agree with the others, get an installer that knows what they are doing, as timmay says, getting the balance/zones right is really important.
what size,type house do you have? thats a fairly small unit for 5 outlets.
Just to give a positive for the Panasonic camp, I have a Panasonic S60PE installed by EES in 2016 so my experience may not match the complaints with bigger systems. But it has run without issues since install and we still use it almost everyday.
The indoor unit is quiet and outdoor unit is about as loud as expected, my outdoor unit is only one fan, I think the bigger systesm have two?
To be fair we struggled initially with getting the temperatures right. We dont have WiFi only the CZ-RTC5 wall controller.
The biggest benefit we found, was to stop using the Auto Fan Mode and set the fan speed to Low or Medium (generally Low is fine)
I've also changed the settings on the controller based on seeing some of the sensor details, also adjusted one of the manual damper outlets on the smallest bedroom to slighty reduce the airflow to that room. I've now got temps within 1degree in each room (5outlets) Also have the ENE/WSW rooms too.
But I agree with the others, get an installer that knows what they are doing, as timmay says, getting the balance/zones right is really important.
what size,type house do you have? thats a fairly small unit for 5 outlets.
what size,type house do you have? thats a fairly small unit for 5 outlets.
Early 2000s 2 storey weatherboard fully insulated with single glazed alu joinery in Auckland
Bedrooms are not that big, smallest being 2.4mx3m and the rest around 3.6mx3m
We've never notice it struggle and as mentioned, generally run on Low fan with a set temp.
i wonder if you miss read the model number. that model is 6kw which would be way undersized even for auckland, especially with single glazing and low fan speed. for comparison 6kw is close to what i have for the lounge on similar location and house.
if you get a chance check the outdoor units model number.
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