JR Gas and Water installed our iStore 180 heat pump with ease. So far the unit has performed faultlessly and without issue. The system is programmed to maximise the use of excess solar generated throughout the day and operates quietly. The addition of wifi monitoring / control would be a nice feature addition. Show details · 1
I had the 180L Heat Pump installed 8 days ago by Too Hot To Handle. I have noticed two issues, 1. I have noticed an approximately two second show of light brown water when I first turn on my hot water tap in the bathroom. 2. I have set the heating timer to turn on at 19.00 hrs and turn off at 22.02 hrs at night, yet I see that the heater is… Read more · 4
coming on about 14.00 hrs in the afternoon. We hardly use any hot water during the day therefore I was surprised that it came on. I was hoping that it wouldn't need to come on during the day.
My installer is very slow at answering my questions therefore the reason why I have made this review direct to iStore. My installer Too Hot To Handle has told me that he has filled out the Warranty form for me and lodged it with iStore, could you please check this?
I couldn't be happier with the iStore! It has been seamlessly connected to our solar system, and I've set a timer to heat the water using solar energy. The energy consumption is impressively low, which is a significant bonus. I had heard concerns about noise, but I must say this model is remarkably quiet. The timer manages the operation… Read more
effectively, turning off the system at night, so during the morning, I can't hear anything at all.
Overall, I highly recommend this system for anyone considering a replacement.
Reviews with attachments
Excellent Experience with JR Gas & Water – I just had a new IStore 180L Heat Pump installed. The whole process was very easy and straight forward. Installers turned up when they said they would and did a good job. I would highly recommend JR Gas & Water
Great product and install – Installed by JR Gas and Water who had Fast turnaround, acurate, clear and competitive quote . Tradies were punctual and did a fantastic install. Everything was smooth and professional. The system itself is great - enough for 2 adults and 2 small children. Show details
Fantastic IStore 180L Heat Pump install by JR Gas and Water – JR Gas and Water provided an excellent service for us. The service and of fitting a new IStore Heat Pump hot water system at our home was second to none. Throughout the service, from initial enquiry with Jarred to install by Charlie and Sean, they were professional, punctual, quick to reply and the area was left neat and tidy and with a great… Read more
looking system that is fantastic quality. We highly recommend the team at JR Gas and Water. Many thanks guys.
In-depth reviews
NOISY VERY VERY NOISY. 46 decibels, the equivalent to an AC motor. If you enjoy a peaceful ambience on your property DON'T BUY THIS PRODUCT. After 24 years with an almost silent gas system I was in the process of ELECTRICIFYING my house. At no time during the quotation phase was there any mention of the noise generated by this Istore product by… Read more
their sales agent Silver Water Plumbing in Sydney.
Update your specifications to include the noise level. Let it be known. Don't expect the layperson to know or read FAQ's because ISTORE doesn't include it in their specifications. Be honest and upfront and give the consumer ALL THE INFORMATION about heat pumps and let them make an INFORMED DECISION.
I certainly would not have purchased it.
You can't go into a showroom and see and hear them on display.
IT IS CALLED FULL DISCLOSURE.
A BIG FAIL ISTORE!!!!!
$3.5k + $650 in Rebates taken by their distributor Silver Water Plumbing.
How is it fair that sales people are not honest Commission, commission, commission!!!!!
Please note people they refused to take it back or replace it with another product.
Very poor customer service once they have your money.
Don't purchase an item you CAN'T RETURN????????
I got rid of this tank, the noise and the negative experience and lost $2300 in the process.
The Department of Fair Trading did not help me.
Once the sale has been made and the install is done if you are not happy it's really like flushing your money down the toilet.
Over 4000 people have read this review so I hope at least I have INFORMED someone before they get suckered like me.
Don't wait for your old hot water system to die before getting a heat pump! – Don't wait for your old hot water system to die before you get a heat pump. Our old system was leaky; almost half of our electricity use. We thought heat pump would be very expensive. Got a quote online from JR Gas & Water to install the Istore 180. We are a household of 2 adults in a 3br townhouse and occasionally get 2-3 guests - 180l should be… Read more
enough. Was just over $3k with good discounts for being flexible on install time. Why did we wait so long to get one?! Electricity use has gone from about 10kwh/day to 6kwh/day! Electrician said it only draws 400w compared to our old dux at 3600w! Will save us a lot of money as it can now run off our small 3.2kw PV system. Have had good consistent hot water since the first evening of install 5 days ago. Electrician took current off night rate as an extra on the quote. It only takes a couple of hours each day to heat up. Runs in the morning (my partner was easily able to set it to run only between 9am and 3pm daily). Runs quiet enough - like an aircon. But doesn't bother us or neighbours. It's a bit like getting a battery attached to our PV except we're storing our excess solar electricity as hot water, and it cost a lot less than a battery.
Amazingly efficient, but quite noisy – I decided to electrify everything in our home, and our hot water system was the last thing we switched over. I chose the iStore because it is the model on the market that has the highest conversion ratio of input electricity to hot water (COP). I've been delighted to observe the electricity bill seems absolutely no higher than it was before we… Read more · 1
switched from gas, so we are saving hundreds of dollars a year.
The installer recommended the 270L size, but I chose the 180L model. It has been ample to provide baths, hot showers, and water for the kitchen for our household of three plus occasional guests. And that's even though I have a teenager who spends way too long in the shower.
The only reason why I haven't given it 5 stars is because it is noisy. If we have a window open on the side of the house where it has been installed, the sound of the motor humming is very noticeable. I hope that it is not annoying our neighbours, but it might be!
I note that it stopped completely once. The fix was switching it off at the fuse box, then switching it back on again, and pressing the start button on the control panel on the unit.
Recent reviews
Think again – Had a 180l heat pump installed 9/05/23 , after reading 97% good reviews, looks like I got the 3% dud.Unit was replaced 22/10/24 under warranty as it was tripping a 16Amp RCD.Cost me $200 because I live in WA south west.The new unit compressor current draw is 0.13 amps more than the rated current, interested to see how long this one will last? Will definitely not recommend iStore to anyone, also read the warranty fine print.
Not a good investment – There are so many things wrong with this all of which point to poor design. Poor insulation means that on moderately cool mornings (~10 degrees) the heater is running despite no hot water having been used overnight. The water temperature can vary by more than 10 degrees. When set to 60 degrees the heater will not kick in until the water… Read more
temperature falls to less than 50 degrees. That difference is just too large. Storage water heaters are supposed to be designed so cool water enters the tank at the bottom allowing the hot water to be drawn off at the top. Not for this unit. The cool water mixes immediately. Our experience is after using 90 litres the water temperature is less than 30 degrees. Choose another model
Dear Michael, sorry to hear your concerns as to the iStore… Read more (+1 reply)
Highly Recommend – JR Gas & Hot Water supplied and installed an iStore heat pump hot water service on the 15/08/2024. The price was good, the service excellent and the installation was punctual. So far I highly recommend the heat pump hot water service from JR Gas. Plenty of hot water, set to turn on anytime between 10 am and 4 pm in Qld to take advantage of the… Read more
warmest time of day. Easy to adjust to turn on at any time that suits your needs, making it economical to run, it's also fairly quiet which is a bonus.
Difficult to program – The screen is very high , I have to stand on steps . It is also not very clear to read and although I initially set it , it now does not respond. It is only 3 weeks old. Show details · 2
Find out how iStore Hot Water Heat Pump 180L compares to other Solar Water Heaters
Know better, choose better.
iStore Hot Water Heat Pump 180L – JR Gas & water replaced my old gas hws with iStore hot water heat pump 180L the next day I contacted them. Josh was friendly, efficent and knowledgeable. Installation took only around 2-3 hours and the hot water sytem started working 30mins after installation and has been running perfectly. Would definitely recommend!
System works great and the installer is fantastic – Our family household were in the market looking for an Australian brand of a electric heat pump hot water system, which is gentle on the environment and our wallet - the iStore 180 ltr silver was a no brainer that stood out as a top option. A 12 year old dedicated business which is sustainable and energy efficient, with the capability to drop… Read more
energy bills by up to 74% as compared to electric storage units, which in perspective will save our family up to $1000 on yearly billing. This would result in the unit paying for itself in electricity savings within 3 years. The system works very well in conjunction with battery solar systems.
J R Gas and water plumbing are the trusted supplier and installer. I know it's only early days for the system install, but I will be sure to recommend the company wherever I can for the service supplied...
Great, affordable unit – Had 180l IStore heat unit installed by JR Gas & Water to replace our old instant gas unit. Easy to use unit with good energy saving features but not complicated. Heats water and holds heat efficiently. Seems like a quality unit but Longevity remains to be seen.
Landing in (good) Hot Water – We had this installed a couple of months ago and are more than happy with its performance. For a 2 person household this hot water service has delivered consistently hot water over the past couple of months and hopefully will continue to do so for a long time to come. After it was installed it took 5 hours to heat the water from cold, but since… Read more
then the daily heating cycle is never more than 2 hours. The weather has been quite cool for this time of year (summer) with some days only 18-20 degrees, so I expect that when the weather does heat up, the daily heating cycle could be even less. A couple of weeks ago we had 3 days of continuously cold, cloudy and rainy weather and it still took only a couple of hours each day to heat the water. Given that we have solar, we run the heat pump during the day, with the water set to heat between 10 am and 3 pm so the cost is minimal. The noise when the unit is heating is not excessive, so whilst it can be heard running outside, inside the house it is not noticeable. The water seems to be consistently hot even on washing days and so far we have never run out of hot water. I will provide an update when we have had a chance to see how it works during winter, but so far on the cooler days it has been fine. We were also very impressed with the staff and installers from hotwater.com.au who supplied and arranged for the installation. They arranged to come and look at the site beforehand, did the installation on time and cleared away all the packaging etc. They also took the time to answer my queries and explained exactly how the unit worked and how to set the heating schedule (which fortunately I have not had to change). If you do need to make changes, the accompanying manual is fairly self-explanatory so it shouldn't be too difficult to do. Just one quirk with setting the heating time - you do need to set the finishing time to 1 minute past the hour apparently (eg. start time 10 am, finishing time 3.01 pm) otherwise it may not turn on/off correctly. I have just one gripe about the system - the display is quite high up, so for shorter people like myself, I will need to get a step ladder if I want to change anything, so please iStore, think about changing the location of the display if that is at all possible so that we shorties can look at it without carting out the ladder.
Great new Heat Pump – Got our new Heat Pump installed last week by Brandon from JR Gas & Water Pty Ltd. Absolutely loving the iStore heat pump and the workmanship from the installers. Show details
Istore Air to Energy 180L -free hot water – Istore Air to Energy 180L -free hot water It was with some trepidation that I replaced our 28-year-old Gas hot water with the iStore 180L heat pump. After some initial issues with the water temperature - it was too hot - I emailed the Istore Melbourne and Karl Jensen came over immediately, adjusted the tempering valve, and now I have hot hot… Read more
water as needed. Such amazing service! As I have a solar PV system I use the timer function and its set to come on between 11am to 4pm, but usually it only runs for about 2 hours. As an added bonus the unit is quiet to run and a recent plumber that came by told me it is one of the best heat pumps on the market. The government rebate was good and overall, it has been a big success. So thanks again to Karl Jensen and the iStore180L. So free hot water and thanks again to the Istore. Great job!
At last! Zero grid electricity use – We replaced our 16 year old 315 litre resistive hot water heater with an iStore 180 litre heat pump 2 weeks ago. We have solar PV and a solar battery, so a heat pump completed the process of becoming electrically self-sufficient. i.e: zero kWh use/day. After adjusting the tempering valve, we now have the same hot water temperature as we had from… Read more
old heater. It uses about 600 Watts of power (about the same as a kettle) for one and a half hours to heat enough 60C hot water for 2 showers and a bath per day. (0.90 kWh/day) Using the timer function, it switches on at midday and is set to run until 4 pm. This timing is to allow my battery to recharge in the 9am to midday period. The unit is quiet and compact. The input settings initially seem a little complicated but are quickly learned.
(An added benefit. I have rigged it so that it the grid goes down; I can switch it to battery power.)
It was installed by Crystral Hot Water in Sydney and I would recommend them. My after-service query re: the tempering valve was handled promptly through iStore's 1300 number. And the price, after rebates, was very good.
btw A warning. I got two totally unrealistic quotes amongst the five I considered. In one case, the quote was $2,600 ABOVE the price I paid. After rebates and a site visit. Shop around. If the quote includes all bells and totally unnecessary whistles (switch board upgrade, a new 20-amp electrical connection, a new slab, etc, etc); walk.
Works perfectly – Our heat pump hot water system has only been in for a week but seems great. JR Gas and Water was super efficient with the whole process from quote to install, within a day, fabulous work. Show details
Best move ever! – Three months ago, we replaced our 15 year old 315 lt solar hot water system with a 180l iStore which we programmed to draw on our solar system throughout the day. The only trouble we encountered was trying to find a local plumber to install it as the established country tradies had zero knowledge of this type of unit and wanted to flog us a… Read more
standard electrical unit or an outrageously priced heat pump. We just received our first power bill and our consumption had actually reduced. The unit is super-quiet and the water is fabulously hot, even throughout the bitterly cold winter months. It's just the two of us and we've never run out of hot water. The real test will be when the family lobs for holidays, but then we will hit the boost function. A big shout out to the very helpful staff at hotwater.com.au in Adelaide who answered our numerous questions and arranged transport to the country.
Find out how iStore Hot Water Heat Pump 180L compares to other Solar Water Heaters
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Early days so far but happy – IStore heat pump Australia (Western Australia) We have two 180 L units now installed reasonably happy with them however a few comments to make, two adults in a house no kids I run mine from 08:00 to 17:00 every day but fully heated by around 13:00 POSITIVES Very quiet Pulls just under 500w when running in eco, pump only Still calculating but… Read more · 4
very cheap to run Looks good Holds the heat overnight when switched off NEGATIVES (not show stoppers) In eco mode can take 5+ hours to heat, going to run some tests as this does not add up Timer is too basic, you have two usable timers per day but no 7 day function, this would be helpful for say weekends when the dynamics change No wifi access, come on we are in 2022 now!! We are happy with the unit but I feel the claims made of Peak COP of 6.85 is when the unit is sitting in say 45 deg c, I am going to suggest at ambient its probably closer to 3, very hard to quantify but I am going to run a heating test over the next few days to see what its really doing If you have a family its still cheaper than gas but the eco function of turning it off overnight won't work if kids are having showers in the morning CONCLUSION Still happy we purchased these units and over time will get a better idea of its performance, we have 6.6 kW of solar to heat it so do have it off over night, our dynamics are we both shower at night so fits in with us, its a little cool in the morning at around 43 deg but you can still shower with this Note to IStore Perhaps develop a new controller with an app for a phone, also include a 7 day portion to your timer?, you could sell this as a retrofit after the fact as there are plenty of people who would be keen on it An example of cost would be Yesterday we used 3.8 kwh to heat 360 L from 30 deg to 60 deg, at 30 cents per kwh thats a cost of $1.14or $68 for two months, with having solar doing most of our heating that's pretty good
Amazing Product – Istore unit is very energy efficient, works perfectly. Customer support after purchase was very prompt Highly recommend if you need to replace a hot water unit. Quiet, and efficient Takes about 4 hours to heat a tank from cold with 500w/hour only Show details · 1
Brilliant invention – Great invention. Working perfectly. I got the Istore ‘at a great price’, Shirley organised delivery quote, an affordable plumber, the government rebate of $1080 and processing the forms. Very happy. Show details · 1
Great controls and very efficient unit! – The controls are great, allowing me to time the running time to solar hours so that I get free hot water. Even without a solar panel system, you can time it to run at off-peak or shoulder-peak hours so that you use the cheapest electricity to heat up the water. Using heat pump technology means you get more efficient use of electricity with a 1 to… Read more · 1
3 or 4 conversion rate to heat, much better than ANY other type of heating technology out there! I'd recommend getting this over solar hot water panels as those tend to require boosters for non-sunny days whereas this one doesn't rely on there being sun, just electricity!
There's also a "holiday mode" to stop the unit from heating when you're away!
I've got a household of 4 (no teenagers yet!) but have never run out of hot water with the 180L.
When recommending replacements to others, I always recommend heat pump hot water units, especially if solar panels are in future plans and if they're keen to move away from gas. Perfect for Australian climate, as the minimum operating temperature is well within our climate range. May not be most efficient in high country though it probably would still work...
Nice looking unit – Installed yesterday. Heated up to 50 degrees from 20 in 2 hours. Easy to operate touch screen and instruction. Nice and quiet. iStore support has been good. There was a 10cm slight dent mark on back of tank but no big deal. Great product iso far. Show details · 1
Perfect! Very happy with the 180L – I installed the 180L iStore close to about 2 months now. Never ran out of hot water for my family of 5, and no problem even when 2 people were showering at the same time. There are 2 timers. I set the first to run mainly during the daytime to utilise my solar system. I set the second system to run for 30 mins during the night under eco mode. It… Read more · 1
uses 0.5kw an hour, which translates to about slightly less than 6 cents per day (0.5kw x 0.5 hr x 0.23 cents), amounting to less than $21 a year, which is far cheaper than my previous gas HWS.
Initially I wanted to get the 270L option as we are a family of 5. But Will from Solargain helpfully got me to check if there was enough space on my sidewalk. I took some pictures and sent it to him, and the team got back telling me that I might not have the space to push a bin out from there if I went with the larger system. Even with the smaller system, we haven't ran out of hot water yet. And I understand the smaller 180L is slightly more efficient than the 270L with a slightly improved design. The iStore has a turbo mode that uses an electric heating element in addition to the heat pump to heat up water really quickly should we need that. So far, I have not needed that mode. We'll see how we go in the coming winter.
Got the system installed for $2,099 after I bundle it with my PV system. That is a steal compared to some other heat pumps out there. Overall, very happy with it.
Very happy with the 180L – We had a client after a new hot water system, as they already had solar panels we advised them to get us to install a 180L iStore Heat Pump. They noticed the difference almost straight away and were stoked with the install and how user friendly these units are. We will be definitely doing more with iStore! Show details · 1
Didn't know what hot water was till i got a iStore! – I recently purchase the iStore after reading all the fantastic reviews online, and i'm so glad i did! The product is amazing and i didn't realise how bad my previous hot water system was till i brought the iStore. The install and ordering was super quick and easy. I will be recommending this product to all my friends and family. Show details · 1
Perfect system I can’t believe the performance well done – Beautiful system look and performersFrom the time when we install wasn’t even one and a half hour and the system temperature from 17° to 60° that is really really good I can’t believe the system is performing that much well done Show details · 1
Interesting change from the old solar panel hot water system – Decided to try this air to energy system and just had it installed. Bill from I Store and the team of plumbers and electricians were fantastic in helping with a small minor teething problem. I will be interested to see its performance over the coming months. also thanks to sale agents I Breeze Mandurah (Jason) for his help when purchasing the item. Russ Campbell Falcon WA Show details · 1
Works great! – The Hot water rebate in VIC was a pain of a process to go through. But it was worth it in the end. The iStore 180L works great. We only have a little house so this size should be perfect for us. (Only got installed the other day) One more appliance off the gas and onto the solar. Just the cook-top to go now. Thanks Will from Solargain for… Read more · 1
organizing the installation. Sorry about my crappy, full, internal switchboard, but Dylan didn't give up, and got the job done like a champion.
It's actually quieter than I thought it would be as well. And even though it is overcast and rainy today, my 6kW solar system is generating more then enough to cover the 500W the iStore needs.
Very happy.
Excellent Customer Service From Simon – I got home last night to no hot water. I called Simon who took me through the steps of getting my hws working again. Simon was extremely patient and knowledgeable. It was not an easy task to walk me through the troubleshooting ( I am a bit challenged in that area, being a single mom), but he was so willing to repeat himself again and again. This… Read more · 1
was at 6.30pm which is after hours for most people. Simon is a dedicated worker who he took time out of his evening with his family to get make sure my family had hot water. I was very extremely impressed and grateful having hot water especially in this weather. Thank you very much Simon!
Smart looking system, well put together, keeps up with my family of 5! – Our old tank was a 300L, upgraded to this smaller heat pump which was at a fair price point. Wasn't sure the size would be enough but so far has been great. Its winter now and were getting around 40min straight of shower time before the heat drops off which is about 5 showers in a row for us. Runs pretty quiet too, haven't needed to put it on high… Read more · 1
performance yet, but nice to know we can boost the heating speed on the control panel when we have visitors. Going off the time it runs for every day it should only cost us about $300 a year in power. Giving it 5 stars, good product.
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Dear Angry Customer Thank you for your feedback. We are… Read more (+5 replies)