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Water heating accounts for 15 to 20% percent of electric energy use in homes
with electric water heat. New heat pump water heaters (HPWH) have an energy-savings
potential of 50% or more. While HPWHs have some great cooling benefits in
other regions of the country and are included in the Northwest Power and
Conservation Council's Sixth Power Plan, there are questions about their
effectiveness in cold climates and their savings potential in the Pacific
Northwest.
How HPWH work
HPWHs use electricity to move heat from one place to another instead of
generating heat directly. To move the heat, heat pump water heaters work
like a refrigerator in reverse. While a refrigerator pulls heat from inside
a box and dumps it into the surrounding room, a heat pump water heater
pulls heat from the surrounding air and dumps it-at a higher temperature-into
the tank to heat the water.
There are different types of heat pump water heaters: integrated units
(one-piece), add-on units (attached to an existing storage water heater)
and split systems. Currently ENERGY
STAR includes only the integrated units, also called drop-ins, stand-alones
or one-piece units.
Regional technology approach
In the Northwest, NEEA and BPA are working collaboratively on HPWHs and
other emerging technologies. In support of HPWHs, NEEA has drafted a Northern
Tier specification for manufacturers. This specification gained widespread
support from Northwest utilities and other northern partners across the
U.S., including the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA) and the
Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnership (NEEP). To learn more read NEEA’s
Specification for Residential Heat Pump Water Heaters Installed in Northern
Climates Version 3.0
The BPA focus includes coordinating lab testing and a technology demonstration
in order to document performance, provide information to the region and
deliver feedback to manufacturers. BPA lab testing began in October 2009
with evaluation results expected during the summer of 2010. A field-technology
demonstration, partially funded by BPA and in partnership with the Electric
Power Research Institute (EPRI), is also underway. The purpose of this
demonstration pilot is to test units in the field at 40 sites in various
climate zones throughout the Pacific Northwest region. Results from EPRI
on this demonstration pilot are expected in early 2012.
Learn
about the pilot
For information, please contact Kacie
Bedney, BPA residential engineer or Sarah
F. Moore, BPA residential sector lead. |
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