Consider a Heat Pump Hot Water Heater to Save Money and the Environment!

Did you know that it costs more to create heat than to move heat from one place to another?

That is the basic principle that allows heat pump technology to heat our homes, offices, and hot water more efficiently, with less impact on our environment. A heat pump hot water heater moves heat from the air around it, and concentrates that heat on the water in the tank, producing typical 120-130F hot water from 60F air!

Heat Pump Hot Water Heater

In 2019, we considered the opportunity to replace our existing electric hot water heater with a low-carbon footprint electric heat pump hot water heater. We decided on a 50-gallon model by Rheem, which had good ratings, was comparatively quiet, and featured wifi control capability. With 50-gallon capacity, the unit is able to keep up with the hot water demands of our 3 bedroom home. 

The heat pump draws heat from the basement air, and uses that ambient heat to heat the water in the tank, using roughly 1/3 the electricity of an electric hot water heater. The air flowing out of the unit is cooler and drier, and the water heater requires an auxiliary water pump to remove the condensate water from the unit. The noise produced by the heater is similar to the noise of a running dehumidifier. The unit also has a conventional electric heating element for high-demand times when the heat pump would be unable to keep up with demand. 

There are various settings which can be used to control the unit; we use the "energy-saver" setting, which prioritizes the heat pump mode, and automatically switches to conventional heating if needed. One can also choose only heat pump, or only conventional heating element modes, for complete control over the heater energy source. The wifi control capability makes it easy to switch modes, increase or decrease water temperatures, and monitor energy usage and unit health from anywhere, using a standard smart phone. 

Although a heat pump water heater is a more expensive initial purchase, the monthly energy savings, combined with the MassSave rebate (currently $750 for this heat pump) enables an estimated payback period of 2 years versus a pure electric water heater. And by using the clean electricity provided by Dynegy to Franklin residents, we are happy knowing that our domestic hot water heating footprint is minimized! We have had the unit for 4 years as of this writing. We are very happy with this unit's performance, have had no issues at all, and have definitely saved energy during that time.

For more information on this and other energy-saving ideas, please visit EnergizeFranklin.org !

This is an updated version of the testimonial posted by Mark Minnichelli at Energize Franklin ->  https://community.massenergize.org/FranklinMA/testimonials/348