A Boston renter was stunned to discover their water heater was responsible for their high electricity bill.
With the price of food and just about everything else rising, people are taking a hard look at expenses to find savings.
A Redditor concerned about their "super high electric bills" posted a screenshot of their electricity use, wondering if their water heater was to blame.
The original poster explained that the monthly electric bill for their 500-square-foot apartment was almost $200, despite efforts to minimize using lights, heat, and air conditioning. They installed a home energy monitor to find the energy-wasting culprit, which was their conventional electric water heater.
"It seems like the water heater is using a huge amount of energy compared to everything else even though my partner and I only take one 15-20 minute shower each per day," they wrote. "... Do these numbers make sense, or could there be something wrong with the water heater that's causing it to use so much energy?"
It's no mistake. Heating water accounts for almost 20% of home energy use. Switching to a more efficient heat pump water heater can save as much as $500 per year. Rebates and tax incentives can lower the cost to purchase a new heat pump water heater, too.
Conventional water heaters use electricity or burn fossil fuels, such as natural gas, propane, and oil, to continually heat water tanks. The method is expensive because it isn't efficient. Burning fuel also impacts home air quality and generates planet-warming pollution.
Heat pump water heaters, on the other hand, use electricity to transfer heat from the surrounding air into the water tank, like a refrigerator running in reverse. This method can be up to three times more energy efficient, which can save you thousands of dollars on utility bills.
Since heat pump water heaters utilize electricity instead of harmful fossil fuels, they benefit the environment by reducing the amount of planet-heating pollution a home generates.
The Cala intelligent heat pump water heater takes these benefits even further.
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Every day 😥 Cala increases comfort at home, heating water intelligently by learning users' hot water habits and preferences. The customizable smart heat pump water heater helps drastically decrease home energy bills by using predictive software. It automatically heats water when local energy is the cheapest and cleanest, further reducing the home's environmental footprint.
Cala is one of the many heat pump water heaters eligible for state and local rebates and federal tax credits through the Inflation Reduction Act. Though Congress would have to approve changes to these incentives, President Donald Trump has said he wants to eliminate the subsidies. These credits are worth taking advantage of sooner than later since they can save you thousands of dollars on a heat pump water heater.
Several Reddit commenters were aware of the benefits of upgrading to a heat pump water heater, advising the OP to consider making the switch.
"Straight electric non heat pump water heaters are super inefficient," one explained.
"I just replaced my 35 gal resistive heat water heater with a 65 gal heat pump water heater and my electricity usage dropped by 30% and I got a $500 credit on my power bill, and will get the federal tax credit," another said.
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