Hot Water System Buying and Replacement Guides
Hot Water Buying Guides: Compare Your Replacement Options
Start with the hot water system you have now, then compare exactly what changes if you move to electric, gas, heat pump or solar.
Choosing a new hot water system is easier when the comparison starts with your existing setup. These guides explain the real conversion between technologies — including tank space, gas or electrical work, roof requirements, solar use, running-cost considerations, rebates and installation differences.
What Are You Changing From?
Choose your current hot water type, then the technology you are considering.
1 What do you have now?
2 What are you considering next?
Which Hot Water Buying Guide Should I Read?
Start with the hot water system currently installed at your property. Then choose the technology you are considering as the replacement. A conversion from instant gas to heat pump has completely different questions from electric to heat pump or solar to gas, so each pathway has its own guide.
Start With What You Have
Electric storage, gas storage, instant gas, heat pump or solar hot water.
Choose What You Are Considering
Compare the actual installation changes required to move to electric, gas, heat pump or solar.
Then Compare Products & Prices
Once the technology makes sense, move into JR's live collections to compare actual systems, sizes and installed pricing.
Before You Choose a System: Check Rebates and Installation Timing
Two questions can change the buying decision before you even choose a model: whether the replacement qualifies for a current incentive and whether the job needs to happen immediately.
Heat Pump & Solar Rebates, STCs and Eligibility
Considering a heat pump or solar hot water system? Read JR's Queensland rebate guide before comparing final purchase prices. It explains the current STC pathway, qualifying technologies and JR's current upfront treatment for eligible supplied-and-installed systems.
Same Day Hot Water Installation
If your hot water system has failed today, check the same-day pathway before spending hours researching. Straightforward replacements are usually the strongest candidates, while conversions, relocations and non-standard sites may need confirmation.
Electric Hot Water Upgrade Guides
Conventional electric storage already gives you a tank position, plumbing and an electrical hot-water setup. Compare whether it makes more sense to move toward heat pump, gas or solar.
Compare efficiency, electrical work, tank position, rooftop solar use, STCs and what actually changes when replacing resistance electric with a heat pump.
Electric to Heat Pump Guide → INSTANT OR STORAGE GAS Electric → GasCompare both instant gas and gas storage, including gas supply, tank removal, continuous flow, recovery and whether changing fuel actually makes sense.
Electric to Gas Guide → DIRECT SOLAR THERMAL Electric → SolarCompare split and roof-mounted solar, roof requirements, booster operation, STCs, running-cost considerations and the heat-pump alternative.
Electric to Solar Guide →Gas Storage Hot Water Upgrade Guides
A gas-storage property already has a full-sized tank position and water services. Compare whether to change the energy source to electric, heat pump or solar thermal.
Compare gas isolation, electrical work, existing tank location, solar PV use, running costs and whether the established storage position suits a heat pump.
Gas Storage to Heat Pump Guide → SIMPLE ELECTRIC STORAGE Gas Storage → ElectricCompare electrical requirements, gas removal, tank sizing, electric running costs, solar controls and when conventional electric storage makes sense.
Gas Storage to Electric Guide → GAS → SOLAR THERMAL Gas Storage → SolarCompare split and close-coupled solar, reuse of the current tank position, roof requirements, gas removal, boosters and heat-pump alternatives.
Gas Storage to Solar Guide →Instant Gas Hot Water Upgrade Guides
Instant gas is compact and tank-free. Moving away from it usually means creating a storage-tank position, so these guides focus on space, household demand and the difference between continuous-flow and stored hot water.
Compare tank space, stored-hot-water sizing, gas removal, electrical work, rooftop solar and the difference between continuous flow and heat-pump recovery.
Instant Gas to Heat Pump Guide → TANK-FREE → ELECTRIC STORAGE Instant Gas → ElectricCompare tank location, electrical circuit requirements, gas isolation, stored capacity, solar timers and the higher electrical demand of conventional resistance heating.
Instant Gas to Electric Guide → CONTINUOUS FLOW → SOLAR STORAGE Instant Gas → SolarCompare tank space, roof collectors, gas removal, booster requirements, solar thermal performance and whether heat pump is the simpler electrification pathway.
Instant Gas to Solar Guide →Heat Pump Replacement & Switching Guides
If a heat pump has failed, changing technology is not automatically necessary. Compare what you gain and give up by moving back to conventional electric, gas or solar thermal.
Compare upfront cost, resistance-heating energy demand, electrical requirements, timers, solar controls, batteries, silence and long-term ownership.
Heat Pump to Electric Guide → INSTANT OR STORAGE GAS Heat Pump → GasCompare instant and storage gas, gas infrastructure, continuous flow, tank requirements and what changes when moving away from efficient electric hot water.
Heat Pump to Gas Guide → HEAT PUMP → SOLAR THERMAL Heat Pump → SolarCompare roof collectors, split versus close-coupled solar, compressor noise, solar PV, STCs and whether replacing the existing heat pump is simpler.
Heat Pump to Solar Guide →Solar Hot Water Replacement Guides
An ageing solar system can have either a roof-mounted tank or a separate ground-level cylinder. These guides explain what happens to the collectors, tank, booster and roof equipment when changing technology.
Compare roof-equipment removal, booster changes, tank position, electrical work, solar PV use, STCs and the move to a ground-level heat pump.
Solar to Heat Pump Guide → SOLAR → SIMPLE ELECTRIC Solar → ElectricCompare roof removal, electrical requirements, conventional resistance-heating energy use, timers, solar controls and the lower-complexity replacement pathway.
Solar to Electric Guide → SOLAR → INSTANT OR STORAGE GAS Solar → GasCompare instant and storage gas, old roof equipment, booster changes, gas supply, tank requirements and whether moving away from renewable hot water makes sense.
Solar to Gas Guide →Not Sure Which Technology You Want Yet?
You do not need to choose a technology before starting your research. A useful comparison looks at your existing services, household demand, available tank space, roof conditions, gas supply, electrical setup, rooftop solar and the amount you want to spend now versus over the life of the system.
Heat Pump
Strong where lower long-term electricity use, electrification and rooftop-PV compatibility matter and a suitable ground-level installation position exists.
Electric Storage
Simple, quiet and often lower upfront cost, but conventional resistance heating generally requires substantially more purchased electricity than heat-pump technology.
Gas
Instant gas offers compact continuous-flow delivery while gas storage combines stored capacity with burner recovery where a suitable gas supply exists.
Solar Hot Water
Strong on properties with suitable solar exposure where direct solar thermal heating and low purchased-energy use justify the roof-based installation.
Existing Infrastructure
The system already installed often tells you which upgrade will require the least new plumbing, gas, electrical, roof or tank-location work.
Whole-of-Life Cost
The lowest purchase price and the lowest long-term energy cost are not always the same choice, so compare both before deciding.
Know Which Technology You Want? Compare Current Systems & Installed Prices
The buying guides answer the conversion question. JR's live collections are where you compare actual products, capacities, brands and current installed pricing.
Hot Water Buying Guide FAQs
Where should I start when replacing a hot water system?
Start with the system you already have. Existing plumbing, tank position, gas supply, electrical services, roof equipment and drainage can significantly change the cost and difficulty of moving to another hot-water technology.
What if I do not know which hot water system I want?
Use the buying guides to compare realistic pathways from your current system. Once you narrow the technology to electric, heat pump, gas or solar, move into the relevant JR collection to compare actual products and installed pricing.
Should I replace my hot water system with the same type?
A like-for-like replacement is often the simplest installation, but it is not automatically the strongest long-term choice. If the existing system has reached the end of its life, it is worth comparing at least one realistic alternative before replacing it.
Where can I check Queensland hot water rebates?
Use JR's Queensland Hot Water Rebates guide for the current heat-pump and solar-hot-water STC pathway, eligibility information and JR's current upfront rebate treatment.
Can JR install a replacement hot water system the same day?
Same-day installation is available for suitable jobs in JR's eligible service areas. Straightforward like-for-like replacements are generally the strongest candidates, while conversions, relocations and non-standard installations may require additional confirmation.
Which guides cover changing to gas?
JR has dedicated electric-to-gas, heat-pump-to-gas and solar-to-gas guides. These pages compare both instant or continuous-flow gas and gas-storage pathways.
Which guides cover switching away from gas?
Gas storage and instant gas each have separate guides for moving to electric, heat pump and solar hot water because the existing installation and conversion requirements are different.
Should I compare solar hot water with a heat pump?
Yes. Both can reduce purchased hot-water energy compared with conventional electric or gas systems. Solar thermal depends more heavily on suitable roof conditions, while a heat pump can work without dedicated thermal collectors and can use electricity generated by rooftop solar PV.
Do the buying guides replace a site assessment?
No. They help identify the likely technology pathway. Final system selection and installation scope can still depend on the actual property, available services, access, compliance requirements and the specific product selected.
Where do I compare actual hot water system prices?
Use JR's All Hot Water Systems collection or the individual electric, heat pump, gas storage, instant gas and solar collections after deciding which technology pathways you want to compare.
Still Unsure? Compare the Systems or Ask JR to Check Your Setup
Start with the buying guide that matches the hot water system you already have. If you would rather compare products directly, browse JR's complete hot water range. For a conversion, unusual installation or property-specific question, send the details through for review.