Heat Pump Water Heaters - Builders Share Their Experience

Installing Heat Pump Water Heaters (HPWH) in new homes is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to incorporate efficient, reliable, low-cost water heating into buildings. Yet, the vast majority of builders are not familiar with and not using advanced water heating technology.
Join the Advanced Water Heating Initiative (AWHI), EEBA and Electrify Now as we profile three American homebuilders who are installing heat pump water heaters in new homes and loving it. Our discussion will highlight the experiences these builders have had with this important technology and provide tips on how best to incorporate these products in new home designs.

[@yupsir791]

My grandparents need a 120V HPWH. The house only has 120V routed to it on 30A breaker. If I space out all the loads through out 24H this would work amazing for them. (They are still using a water heater where you start a campfire under it!)

[@ElectrifyNowUSA]

You can now order 120V HPWHs from Rheem through Home Depot as a special order.

[@R290s_biggest_fan]

It would be exciting to see the efficiency of an r290 hpwh.

[@calferath]

So why do I still see new homes with tankless water heaters?

[@ElectrifyNowUSA]

The idea the tankless heaters are the best for the environment is well ingrained even if it is not true.....thats why we have to spread the word about heat pumps:)

[@ElectrifyNowUSA]

Great question - this is because most people still think that is the best solution, but HP Water heaters blow tankless away on cost and carbon savings

[@ElectrifyNowUSA]

@@anthonyspadafora1384 Anthony - there is not need to get into all this technical obfuscation. Just look at the yellow labels from the Department of Energy that come on all water heaters with the anticipated operating costs and energy consumption for that model according to their DOE standardized testing. Find that label for the most efficient gas tankless water heater and compare that to any heat pump water heater with a comparable first hour rating and you will see that the heat pump costs one half as much to operate as the gas tankless Then calculate the carbon emissions from the projected energy consumption that is also on those labels and you will see that the heat pump produces less than one half the carbon emissions using national average grid carbon intensities. Thats what I mean by blown away - half the cost to operate and half the carbon emissions - and they don't leak methane into your home which is also a problem with all gas appliances according to research done at Stanford university and others.

[@rizwanmuhammad6468]

They will make sense only if they are integrated as part of otherHVAC sisters.

[@rizwanmuhammad6468]

Heat pump water heater are ridiculous. Costly and retrofitting is a bitch and expensive, running cost is same. Energy used by water heater is 150$ per year according to estimate. What are we trying to save

[@ElectrifyNowUSA]

If you have an electric water heater already, installation is a straight swap out and you would save about $300-$400 per year for a typical 50 gal unit. Gas swap outs are more expensive but you would also save around $200-$300 per year and eliminate the air and carbon pollution that comes from gas water heaters.