With water heating accounting for nearly a fifth of your home's annual energy bill, making sure you have the most efficient system possible can translate into meaningful savings.
One homeowner living in a cold climate turned to the experts at This Old House (@thisoldhouse) to figure out the best water-heating upgrade for his home.
In the video, building engineer Ross Tretheway and HVAC installer Bruce Dike explained the money-saving benefits of heat pump water heaters.
While normal water heaters rely on burning fuels or electric resistance to create heat to warm water, heat pump water heaters operate differently.
Dike explained that conventional water heaters typically operate at an efficiency of around one, meaning they produce roughly one unit of heat for every unit of energy consumed.
"A dollar in, a dollar out," Dike said.
Heat pump water heaters, however, use refrigeration and compression technology to extract ambient heat from the surrounding air and transfer it into the water. Because the heat pump is never actually creating heat, the entire system is extremely efficient, up to 400% efficient compared to traditional models.
Plus, ultra-high-tech models that are designed to adapt to your habits, such as those from Cala, can help you save even more.
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Although this style of water heater is becoming increasingly popular, some have raised concerns that the units can cool and dehumidify the rooms they are installed in. While this feature can be desirable in hot climates, it can be less than ideal in colder conditions.
However, Dike explained that a split-system heat pump can help mitigate this concern.
"[This] is far less known," Dike said. "Far less understood."
In a split system, the evaporator panel is installed outside the home and connected to the heat pump. This setup pulls heat from outdoor air, so the water heater does not cool or dehumidify the room where it is located.
While this type of system can vary in efficiency by season, its average performance over the year typically falls between two and three, making it far more efficient than a standard electric water heater.
If you're curious about how a highly efficient water heater can save you money on bills, check out Cala.
Cala's water heaters use heat pump technology and software that learns your home's habits to deliver hot water when you need it while dodging expensive electricity rates.
According to its data, some Cala owners can save over $700 on their energy costs by ditching their outdated electric-resistance unit.
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