Electric Heat Pump Water Heater Replacing Water Heatger In Attic

Before you take the plunge consider the pros and cons of hybrid water heaters.

Electric heat pump water heater replacing water heatger in attic.

Engineered to utilize your home s electricity along with heat pump technology the a. To move the heat heat pumps work like a refrigerator in reverse. Therefore they can be two to three times more energy efficient than conventional electric resistance water heaters. If a heat pump water heater is installed in a very small room a closet or a tiny mechanical room for example the room can get so cold that the heat pump can t operate properly.

At lowe s a 50 gallon heat pump water heater goes for around 1 100 while its older conventional cousin the electric water heater can be purchased for closer to 300. Heat pump water heaters use electricity to move heat from one place to another instead of generating heat directly. Page 1 323471 001 air inlet. If you want to keep your monthly heating costs as low as possible keep your heat pump water heater in economy mode.

Attic temperature will often exceed 109 f 42 8 c in many regions during spring and summer months. This is a very different question than venting a bathroom fan or clothes dryer to the attic moist air as the heat pump takes humidity out of the air routes it to a condensation drain. If you re replacing a conventional electric water heater chances are there s already a 220 volt wire in the room but if your existing unit is gas you ll need an electrician to run a 220 circuit. Hybrid electric heat pump tank water heaters are built to be the most efficient tank water heater on the market.

Hpwhs are taller than conventional water heaters because of the heat pump located on top of the tank. Heat pump water heaters are more energy efficient because they move heat while gas water heaters create heat via combustion. That s why the manufacturers of heat pump water heaters dictate the minimum volume generally 1 000 cubic feet of the room in which this type of appliance. However assuming you have cold winters and an unheated attic in the winter the attic can easily get so cold below 35 45 degree cutoff for most brands that it can no longer extract heat from the air so it is then acting as a straight electric water heater trying to keep the water hot in a cold environment not an energy efficient solution.

Outdoor air temperatures will often be lower than 45 f 7 2 c in many regions during fall and winter months. The advantage of the heat pump is that it draws heat from the atmosphere but the problem is that the exhaust from the heat pump is cold and in the winter. Smith line of hybrid heat pumps provide up to a 3 45 uniform energy factor uef rating which conserves energy and is energy star qualified.