Who Knew you can heat your hot water more efficiently with a heat pump water heater?

Heat pump water heaters <https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/heat-pump-water-heaters> use electricity to move heat from one place to another instead of generating heat directly. Therefore, they can be two to three times more energy efficient than conventional electric resistance water heaters.

Because these heat pump water heaters (HPWH) need to be installed where the temperature is between 40 to 90 degrees, your furnace room may be an ideal location. Cooler areas make the HPWH run less efficiently. They also are taller than traditional water heaters and need more space around them. They may also take longer to reheat a full tank.

HPWHs can be added to an existing heat pump system. And if you are putting in geothermal heat pumps, some manufacturers have a triple-function geothermal heat pump system that provides heating, cooling and hot water.

Although the initial cost of a HPWH (between $1,000 and $5,000) is higher than traditional water heaters, they have lower operating costs because of their efficiency. In the long run they can save you money. And they also have a positive impact on the environment. They run on electricity so don’t directly burn fossil fuels. They reduce carbon dioxide emissions compared to standard electric water heaters because they use less electricity to operate.