Living with a Heat Pump Water Heater

User: paulg1973@icloud.com

Vendor: Drive Green - Green Energy Consumers Alliance

Action: 2916 - Water heating with Heat Pumps

We had our plumber install an AO Smith Heat Pump Water Heater (HPWH) almost 4 years ago. I liked the idea that it would use less electricity than a electric resistance hot water heater. It's quiet even when operating (a soft fan noise is all). Our model has a 66 gallon tank, which has proven to be plenty for 2 people. The room in which it is installed must be of a certain minimum size, depending on the model you select. Our basement was large enough for the model we selected. It does make the basement a little colder than it would otherwise be. But since we don't have any finished areas in the basement, and we aren't down there very often, this has not been an issue. A byproduct of a heat pump is that it dehumidifies the air, which because we have a forced hot air system, turns out to dehumidify the entire house, at least somewhat. I say somewhat, because with only 2 people in the house, and with the water heater downstream of our solar hot water system, it rarely runs in the warmer months. The fact it is dehuimidifying the air is more noticeable in the winter months. So we run a humidifier in our bedroom. We've had just one maintenance call since it was installed, to replace a corroded junction pipe that attached the water heater to the rest of the plumbing. Not a big deal. No regrets; I'll buy another HPWH when the time comes to replace it.