Most homeowners who have heat pumps use them to heat and cool their homes. But a heat pump also can be used to heat water. Enter the hybrid water heater, or heat pump water heater, as we also call them.
But, while a heat pump is a good comparison for these water heaters, a better comparison is perhaps your refrigerator that relies on the same process as a heat pump, to move heat from the inside of the refrigerator to the outside of the refrigerator in order to keep your food cool and fresh. This is because your refrigerator is a self-contained appliance just like the hybrid water heater, with the primary difference being that the hybrid water heater moves heat into the appliance in order to heat the water, instead of out of it.
How does a hybrid water heater work?
Hybrid water heaters use electricity to move heat from one place to another, using refrigerant and a compressor, rather than generating their own heat like a traditional electric resistance water heater. This makes them two to three times more efficient, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Think of a heat pump water heater as a refrigerator working in reverse.
• A refrigerator pulls heat from inside a box and dumps it out into whatever room it's in.
• A hybrid water heater pulls heat from the surrounding air and dumps it, at a higher temperature, into a tank to heat water.
The hybrid water heaters are called “hybrid” water heaters because, during periods of high hot water use, they can switch to standard electric resistance heat automatically. You can use your unit’s control panel to set the hybrid water heater to various settings, including hybrid mode. If you don’t want it to switch over automatically, simply set it to the heat pump mode.
Many control panels have multiple settings and modes to maximize energy savings. If both of your kids are showering at the same time in different bathrooms while you’re running the dishwasher, you can switch it to “High-demand” or “Hybrid” mode to get adequate hot water. Hybrid mode is the most energy efficient mode for daily use.
How much will a hybrid water heater cost you?
Like most things that operate more efficiently and save you money, a hybrid water heater costs more than a traditional electric resistance water heater. A 50-gallon hybrid, or heat pump water heater on its own can retail for around $1,700, while its older, conventional cousin the electric resistance water heater can be purchased for a little over $500.
It’s recommended you have a professional install your hybrid water heater to maximize its energy efficiency. Here at Clallam County PUD we have a list of participating plumbers that can help you with your hybrid water heater installation. When you use a plumber from our Participating Installer list, we can offer a $800 instant rebate for a tier 3 and $900 for a tier 4 hybrid or heat pump water heater, that the plumber will take off your cost to purchase and install the water heater.
Of course, we also recommend that you get a couple of bids to evaluate, so if you end up using a plumber that’s not signed up as a participating installer, you may apply for our $600 mail in rebate coupon. You can also use the rebate coupon if you do your own installation. You can find that rebate coupon on our website at https://www.clallampud.net/water-heater-rebates/. In either case, our customers are only eligible for one rebate per home.
If you have any questions regarding this article or if you would like to discuss any other energy saving opportunities, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We work for you. You can reach us via email and phone.