For many homeowners, upgrading home appliances like water heaters comes with energy bill savings. But for others, the upgrades can bring new, costly problems.
After one homeowner shared their excitement over reducing energy costs with a new heat pump water heater, others hopped into the Reddit thread to share their support but also warnings, including one buyer who reported two compressor failures in just 23 months.
Here's what to know
In a post to Reddit's r/HeatPumps forum, one homeowner shared that they had just
replaced an 18-year-old indirect oil water heater with a 65-gallon heat pump model from A.O. Smith as part of a broader effort to reduce household fuel use.
In the thread, the original poster wrote, "I should not be this excited… [But] Between this, my mini splits, and the redone insulation I've gotten in the past few years, I've dramatically slashed the amount of $6+/gallon heating oil I'll be burning this winter."
Multiple commenters shared how big of a difference these heat pump water heater units had made on their energy bills. The top comment read, "I went from conventional electric to a Rheem Proterra HPWH and it made a huge difference on my electricity bill."
Another commenter wrote, "We've been extremely happy with our Geospring. The electricity savings have been quite dramatic." A third added, "AO Smith 80 gallon 4 years in, running like a champ. Have not run out of water, even when family and friends visit."
More than one commenter, however, mentioned the compressors as potentially problematic. One wrote, "They are junk. Compressor failure is very common," while a second explained that, "You bought a very similar model to mine. Since it's install, 1 year and 11 months ago, it's already died twice, both with the exact same failure. The compressor died."
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Where can I learn more?
Other homeowners have shared how much energy their heat pump water heaters use and what led them to make the switch.
• Owners told a skeptical buyer their heat pump water heaters pay back in three years.
• A tracked Rheem heat pump water heater used just 650 kWh over 311 days.
• A Massachusetts homeowner said their heat pump water heater cut household power use.
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