Reclaim Energy review

Reclaim Energy Hot Water Heat Pump Reviews

4.6

Based on 22 ratings
Tim Johnston

Tim's Reclaim Energy Hot Water Heat Pumps Review & Verdict

Tim Johnston covers hot water heat pumps and air conditioning for SolarQuotes.

Reclaim Energy arguably produces the best heat pump hot water unit on the market. Reclaim has traditionally manufactured a range of split heat pump hot water units and has more recently introduced an all-in-one option. The main concern with Reclaim units, however, is the price - they are expensive. Consumers will need to weigh up whether they are worth the premium.

Reclaim Energy Hot Water Heat Pumps: Pros & Cons

  • Australian/Japanese made
  • Very efficient
  • Quiet
  • Uses CO2 as a refrigerant (low Global Warming Potential).
  • Benefits of separate tank and compressor - more flexible installations and replace either component when they fail (rather than throw an all-in-one out)
  • Pricing at the higher end of the spectrum
  • Units can get complicated - there are a lot of different models available

About Reclaim Energy

Australian company Reclaim Energy specialises in designing and manufacturing high efficiency and environmentally friendly heat pump hot water systems.

Reclaim Energy Contact Details

Mailing Address: PO Box 627 Byron Bay NSW 2481
Phone: 1300 383 815
Email: [email protected]
Website

Company Info

Reclaim Energy was born out of Solar Thermal Australia Pty Ltd in 2003. The company was founded by Dr Chris Taylor, who focused on creating innovative sustainable hot water solutions.

Reclaim's heat pump hot water units first hit the market in 2018.

Reclaim Heat Pumps

Split Systems

Reclaim initially entered the market with their split unit - the tank and compressor are separate.

Reclaim's split units use carbon dioxide (CO2) as a refrigerant. Ironically, despite there being too much CO2 in the atmostphere, CO2 is one of the best refrigerants to use both from a performance and environmental perspective. The GWP (Global Warming Potential) of CO2 is 1 - as it's the reference gas used to measure the warming effect of other greenhouse gases. 

Electricity consumption is around 1kWh for 100 litres of hot water, and the reheat rate is around 2 litres per minute. Energy usage and performance will vary based on individual requirements and weather conditions.

The company says its range has an average Coefficient of Performance (COP) of 5, meaning that for 1 kW of electricity input, they generate approximately 5 kW of thermal output.

Reclaim states its products are "whisper quiet" and the quietest systems on the market, with an average noise level of 37dB. We can verify this claim as we've had many customers stand in front of the unit and remark that it is so quiet they can't tell whether it's on.

Reclaim's tanks are manufactured in Australia. The compressors are made in Japan.

Stainless Steel Tank Choices

The stainless steel tanks are suitable for non-hard water areas and are available in the following sizes:

  • REHP-CO2-160SST (160 litres - tall)
  • REHP-CO2-250SST (250 litres - tall)
  • REHP-CO2-315SST (315 litres - tall)
  • REHP-CO2-315SSQ (315 litres - squat)
  • REHP-CO2-400SST (400 litres - tall)

Customers considering stainless steel tanks also have the choice between Earthworker, Wiseliving and Duplex tanks. The cost is the same for each unit. Earthworker units are apparently better insulated and therefore more efficient. The various tank options are only available in some sizes.

Glass Lined Enamel Tanks

Reclaim's enamel glass-lined tanks are suitable for all water types, including hard water areas:

  • REHP-CO2-160GL (160 litres)
  • REHP-CO2-250GL (250 litres)
  • REHP-CO2-315GL (315 litres)
  • REHP-CO2-400GL (400 litres)

The glass-lined tanks use a sacrifical anode to protect the tank. This requires regular checking and maintenance.

Controllers 

Two controller options are available - v1.1 and v2 (wireless).

The v1.1 controller comes with the Panasonic compressor. v1.1 offers 6 operational modes:

  • 24 hours – Continuous
  • 9 hours (Off-Peak mode 1: 10pm – 7am)
  • 6 hours (Off-Peak mode 2: 12am – 6am)
  • 6 hours (10am – 4pm)
  • Timer (Two-Zones)
  • Remote (One Shot Boost)

As well as the above, the v2 controller offers:

  • Timer (Two-Zones) & Multiple Temperature Control
  • Holiday Mode – one day/time set per week to meet legionella control

Other features of the v2 include automated notifications to the owner and Reclaim's tech team of any errors, real time usage and consumption reporting and an app.

I used to quote both the v1.1 and v2 controllers. The v1.1 controller is around $300 cheaper, however I no longer quote them as I think the v2 controller is better value with a longer warranty (see below) and better functionality with wifi control.

Warranty Information

The warranty varies according to the components and are as follows.

  • Glass-Lined tank: 10 years tank / 7 years parts and labour.
  • Stainless steel tank: 15 years tank / 10 years parts and labour. The 15 year warranty is not a full warranty, it is a sliding scale. For example, Reclaim will cover 90% of the cost in Year 7, but only 10% of the cost in Year 15.

Reclaim Eco R290 All-in-One Unit

Reclaim launched a mid-market all-in-one unit in October 2025. The Reclaim Eco R290 is significantly more affordable than Reclaim's split systems, but is still at a premium to other good quality mid-market units like Aquatech, iStore and Haier.

The Eco R290 comes in two sizes: 300L and 200L. It comes with wifi including many of the same functions as the v2 controller (listed above).

The Eco R290 uses propane (R290) as the refrigernant. Propane has a GWP of 3 and is very similar to CO2. The units are made in Australia.

The Reclaim Eco R290 comes with an 8-year warranty on the tank and refrigeration components, with a 1-year warranty on sensors, thermostats, valvues, electric heating elements and anodes.

If you're uncertain if one of these systems is right for you, check out our guide to choosing buying heat pumps, which includes a comparison table where you can see specifications and estimated pricing of heat pumps from various manufacturers side-by-side.

Installer Approved

In 2025 SolarQuotes held its first annual Installer's Choice Award for heat pumps.  We asked installers just one question, "If installing a system on your own house today, what brand's hot water heat pump would you use?"  Reclaim took 3rd place behind iStore and Solahart. 

If you have a Reclaim Energy heat pump hot water system installed, we're keen to read your opinion on it - and other Australians would be too. Submit a review using the button towards the top of this page.
Reclaim Energy is a SolarQuotes approved brand

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Reclaim Energy Reviews (22)

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  • 4 star 4
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Lots of control with the app.

Installed By

Helcro Solar

Installed By

Essential Solar
I absolutely love it. I love having the WIFI and app option where I can set the timers to heat the hot water at the cheapest time, using my excess solar or overnight on cheapest electricity rate if needed. I never realised how bad my old hot water system was till I had this installed. So far it has only used being a CO2 heat pump a maximum of 1.2kw/hr to heat the hot water and that was on a really overcast day and I needed a hot water boost but my average is 0.7kw/hr for a 1 person household. It will probably get higher in winter but it will be much cheaper than gas and definitely much cheaper than 13 to 14kw/hr to heat an electric hot water system the same size. I don't on a good solar day produce that much excess solar, so even though the Reclaim heat pump was more expensive up front installed, their 10 year warranty on all parts and labour for both the glass tank (as long as sacrifice node is checked every 3 years and replaced every 5 years) and compressor and the savings I will make in my Power bills (use Solar Quotes or Solar Choice websites to help with this) it is definitely a great choice. I am absolutely stoked with it. The app let's you the temp of your hot water, set the timers you want, turn the tanks heating off if you are going away, see how much power you are using to heat the water, if the water is currently heating, boost the heating if you want and so much more. And it is highly recommended for colder climates and low humidity areas like where I live. Awesome.

Installed By

Goulburn Solar
Love this hot water service, I've had it for a year now and its rock solid

Installed By

Local Energy Group
Very quiet and efficient

Installed By

RenewCo Solar Sydney
Works around two hours per day using about 3 kWhr energy. Only run out of hot water once when 4YO grandson had a two hour shower and even then, only had to wait 20 min after pressing the "boost" button to have a shower the next morning! Very quiet and can hardly be heard in neighbours yard just 2m away on other side of fence when running (which is only for a few hours during the morning from about 11AM

Installed By

Evo Solar VIC

Installed By

Zeco Australian Energy Solutions North East

Installed By

Winki Energy Geelong

Installed By

Urban Renewables Melbourne
I didn't buy the system from Matt, but was recommended to Wayne Castleman Plumbing and Gas fitting by Scott Tennant. Matt did however complete the electrical installation for the new heat pumps.
Coming from an on-demand gas system, I was highly skeptical of a storage system being able compete, but so far no problems. The wifi and smart app was a little clunky to set-up, but once setup is reliable.

The heat pump was only installed at Christmas, so will be curious to see its performance during a Ballarat winter.

Installed By

Matthew Walsh Electrical
Great heat pump installed by the team as well! Reclaim 400L Stainless Steel

Installed By

Australian Energy Upgrades
The 270 Reclaim Energy tank is located inside the house and heats up in 2 hours during the day. We have used the boost function a couple of times when we have had 6+ people staying in the house. Easy to programme. Very energy efficient.

Installed By

Linked Solar

Installed By

Brightworks Solar
It's early days but so far the operation is floorless, the App is very basic with only output, you have to change any setting on the hand held at the unit.
Very quite, power use as stated, heats twice/day on average.

Installed By

Essential Solar East

Installed By

Green Solar Energy Sydney
Actual installation was not up to the standard I was happy with.
Works really well, very low power consumption
The Reclaim heat pump hot water system has had a very positive impact on our energy bills. The old electric hot water system needed replacement. The timed operation is especially helpful. WE had a small solar system and it provides enough power to run the Reclaim for the short period it needs to. The result is hot water which has gone from 35- 40% of our bill to almost zero cost.
The only observation I would make is that the very tall 315 Litre storage tank is too narrow and too tall. The installation is very good but I opted to add a brace to the wall for safety. You can wobble the tall tank and my brace reflects my concern that even though the piping sort of secures it, I think it should be properly secured with a suitable bracing system.
Opt for the SQUAT tank if you buy this brand!
I’m a bit disappointed that I wasn’t asked what settings I wanted the heat pump to be on. Then when I asked the installer what the actual setting currently were I was told they were set on continuous operation. This wasn’t what I wanted so I asked for them to be changed to daytime operation only. Unfortunately that installer wasn’t able to help me. I’m not sure whose job it was but it didn’t happen. The chap I spoke to was a plumber and, unfortunately the electrician had already left my house before this conversation occurred. It then took me 2 emails to get the paperwork to operate the system, paperwork that surely should have been given to me at the time of installation. I’m not confident to alter the settings and think I should have been consulted, and the settings adjusted, at the time of installation. When I’ve spent as much as I did on this system, I think an induction is not too much to ask or expect. I feel confident that the unit will meet my expectations but the actual installation was a disappointment. Can you help?
It’s fairly early in my use of the heat pump but overall the install went well and it is performing exactly as expected. It is also much quieter than anticipated. Almost silent.
I would have liked the installer to make me aware that it was possible legally to bypass the tempering valve just for kitchen and laundry
I had a Reclaim 400L Stainless Steel system installed today. Very happy with the installation by SDHWS - the workmanship and price was excellent and the guys did everything by the book (including not forgetting the drainage). The unit itself works very well - it took about 4 hours to heat the tank up from stone cold.
Really like the app and the ability to schedule the heating for when I have spare solar electricity to spare, and to be able to boost for a short while if we were to use all the hot water
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