Choosing a new hot water system isn’t something most homeowners do often — which is exactly why it can feel so overwhelming. Gas or electric? Is a heat pump worth the extra upfront cost? Does solar actually make sense in Canberra’s climate?
To cut through the noise, we sat down with Ethan Wyborn, a local plumber from Born Plumbing. Ethan spends most of his week in the field installing and repairing the hot water systems Canberra homeowners rely on throughout the year, so we figured he was the right person to ask. Here’s what he had to say.
“So, where do most people start when they’re choosing a system?”
“Honestly, most people start with what they already have,” Ethan says. “If their old system was gas, they assume they’ll just replace it with gas. But that’s not always the smartest move. Canberra’s climate is pretty extreme – we get proper cold winters and hot, dry summers – so the system that suits your house best depends on a few things: how many people live there, your roof orientation, whether you’re on mains gas, and honestly, what you want your power bills to look like in five years.”
“Let’s start with gas. Who’s it best for?”
“Gas hot water systems are still a solid, reliable option, especially for bigger households,” he explains. “They heat water fast, they cope well with high demand – think back-to-back showers on a cold Canberra morning – and continuous flow gas units basically never run out of hot water. The downside is obviously the running cost. Gas prices have gone up a fair bit over the last few years, and if you’re not already connected to mains gas, installing a bottled system adds ongoing cost too.”
He adds that gas is often the easiest “like-for-like” replacement if a system fails suddenly. “If your old gas unit dies on a Tuesday night, it’s usually the quickest thing to swap over, since the gas line’s already there.”
“What about electric systems? They seem like the cheapest option upfront.”
“They are, and that’s the main appeal,” Ethan says. “Electric storage systems are cheap to buy and install, which makes them popular for rentals or smaller households. But running costs can catch people out. Electricity in the ACT isn’t cheap, and a standard electric storage tank isn’t the most efficient way to heat water. If you’ve got a smaller budget and just need something reliable and low-fuss, it’s a reasonable option – just go in knowing the power bill trade-off.”
“Heat pumps come up a lot lately. Are they actually worth it?”
“Heat pumps are probably the system I recommend most often right now,” he says. “They work a bit like a reverse air conditioner – pulling heat from the surrounding air to warm the water, rather than generating heat directly. That means they use a fraction of the electricity a standard electric system does. For Canberra specifically, the newer heat pump models handle cold air temperatures a lot better than older ones did, so they’re a genuinely good fit here now, not just for milder climates.”
“The catch is the upfront cost – they’re more expensive to buy and install than a standard electric or gas unit. But most households recover that difference in running-cost savings within a handful of years, especially with rebates that are sometimes available. If someone’s planning to stay in their home for a while, it’s usually the best long-term value.”
“And solar hot water – does it make sense here?”
“Solar can be great, but it comes with more variables,” Ethan says. “You need decent, unobstructed roof space with good northern exposure – trees or nearby buildings casting shade will hurt performance. Canberra actually gets plenty of sunshine hours, even in winter, so solar performs better here than people expect. The main thing is that most solar systems still need a gas or electric booster for cloudy days or high-demand periods, so you’re not going 100% off one source. It’s a bigger investment, but if your roof’s set up well for it, the long-term savings are hard to beat.”
“If someone genuinely can’t decide, what’s your advice?”
“I always tell people to think about three things,” he says:
- How long you’re planning to stay in the property.
- How many people in the household use hot water daily.
- Your comfort level with upfront cost versus ongoing running costs.
“If you want the cheapest install and don’t mind higher running costs, electric’s fine. If you want reliability and fast recovery, gas is solid. But for most Canberra households planning to stay put, a heat pump usually strikes the best balance between cost, efficiency and coping with our climate.”
“And whichever option you’re leaning toward, always get someone out to actually assess the property first. A phone quote can’t account for your roof angle, your existing pipework, or how your household actually uses hot water – that’s where a lot of the wrong decisions get made.”
The takeaway
There’s no single “best” hot water system – it depends on your household, your budget, and how long you’re planning to stay in your home. But according to Ethan, heat pumps are increasingly the sweet spot for Canberra conditions, gas remains a dependable workhorse for larger families, electric suits tighter budgets, and solar rewards homes with the right roof setup.
If you’re weighing up your options, a chat with a local plumber who knows Canberra’s climate and housing stock – like the team at Born Plumbing – is a good place to start!
You Might Also Like
