Heat pump water heaters are expensive and not well suited to our winter climate. (Image courtesy energysavers.gov)

Heat pump water heaters can save you 50 percent on your water heating costs – or can they?

Heat pump water heaters work by removing heat from the air and transferring that heat to water. This makes the conditioned air cooler. That’s fine in the summer, when the air conditioner is running, but in the winter, the only air warm enough to supply a sufficient amount of heat is in the conditioned space of the home. This is air you’ve already warmed with your home’s heating system. By removing heat from your home to warm your water, you‘ll lose much of your water heating savings by having to run your heating system more.

Other requirements of a heat pump water heater that need to be addressed before you purchase are:

• Adequate physical space: Heat pump water heaters are generally larger (height, width, and/or depth) compared to standard water heaters. Limited space in your home may prevent the water heater from being installed in a desired location.
• Adequate air volume and circulation: Heat pump water heaters often require large enough areas and volume for adequate air circulation. Without this, a heat pump water heater’s performance is reduced, particularly if installed in a confined sealed space, such as a closet or a small room.
• Condensate removal: Access to a drain or to the outdoors is required for removing the heat pump water heater’s condensate, generated during operation. Often, existing water heaters will have a drain pan, but additional piping may be required for handling this.
• Noise: Heat pump water heaters hum or whir when the system operates. Depending on the model and location, the noise may be unacceptable.
• Exhaust air: Heat pump water heaters exhaust cool, dehumidified air into their surroundings, which may not be desirable in winter. This means the units will need to turn off heat pump operation to stop exhaust air. That most likely means using a back-up water heater, probably an electric resistance heater, further reducing any energy savings.  

For more information on heat pump water heaters:

The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance has developed specifications for heat pump water heaters that will help manufacturers meet the energy efficiency requirements for customers living in northern climates.

Washington State University Energy Efficiency programs has an easy-to-read fact sheet on HPWH.

Contest winners Shirley and Richard Ehrenberg of Wenatchee

Richard and Shirley Ehrenberg of Wenatchee are the winners of Chelan County PUD’s Reduce Your Use Contest, dropping their wintertime energy consumption by 35 percent compared to previous years.

Second place goes to Tony and Laura Thompson of Wenatchee, who cut their electrical use by 24 percent. Taking third place are Nick and Jenn Brunner of Cashmere, who reduced their use by 23 percent.

Nine contestants competed in the contest to see who could reduce home energy use by the greatest percentage during the winter heating season of Jan. 1- March 31, 2011. All contestants saved energy. Overall savings averaged 19 percent. Total savings over the three months came to just under 20,000 kilowatt hours – just about enough to power a typical Chelan County home for one year.

A chart showing results for all contestants  is available on the PUD website here.

Mark Wiser, conservation program manager, said the contest showed that simple things such as sealing air leaks, caulking around windows and adding insulation can go a long way toward improving energy efficiency and increasing comfort in Chelan County homes.

The Ehrenbergs received a $500 gift certificate donated by Walmart. The Thompsons received a $250 gift certificate from Community Glass. The Brunners won a $100 gift certificate donated by Stan’s Merry Mart.

Winners were determined by looking at who saved the greatest percentage of energy from Jan. 1 – March 31 compared to the winter heating seasons of 2008-09 and 2009-10. Data analysis accounted for variations in temperatures and in the number of days between meter reads. Staff engineer Jim White used a linear correlation of prior energy use and average monthly temperatures for past winter heating seasons to determine the energy saved by the contestants during the past three months.

Before the three-month contest period, each contestant received a detailed home energy analysis. Each homeowner received a report with energy-saving recommendations. It was up to individual homeowners to decide how much they would spend on energy-efficiency measures, whether to do the work themselves, or to take any recommended actions at all.

Complete contest results — including videos featuring Wiser and the first- and second-place winners — are available on the PUD website. Check out the contestants’ savings, then hunt down yours!

Learn how to Use your Programmable Thermostat.

Seal air leaks around windows, doors and other openings to improve comfort and save on electric bills.

Energy audits conducted for the nine families in Chelan PUD’s Reduce Your Use Contest show that air leaks are the most common source of energy loss in homes.

PUD staff used sophisticated equipment to depressurize homes and detect air leaks. But customers can do the same using a box fan. Place the fan in an open window on a cold day and seal around the edges so that the fan blows warm air from the house to the outdoors, creating a negative pressure inside. (If you don’t have a box fan, simply turn on all your exhaust fans.) Then walk around the house feeling for cold air coming in around windows, doors and other openings. Seal air leaks using caulking, spray foam, backer rod, weather-stripping or mastic (for ductwork).

Links to information on how to seal air leaks throughout your home are available on the PUD’s Reduce Your Use web page.

For help with ducts, view this WSU Energy Extension video on Duct Sealing for Comfort, Energy and Indoor Air Quality.

Federal tax credits are available to homeowners who make energy efficiency improvements or invest in solar energy systems.

If you’re starting to think ahead to filing your 2010 federal tax return, keep in mind that energy efficiency improvements made to your home this year may entitle you to a tax credit. Adding insulation and replacing windows — the two components of Chelan County PUD’s weatherization program — can put you in line for both the PUD rebate and federal tax credit.

The tax credit  for insulation and windows is for 30 percent of the cost up to $1,500. The home must be an existing home and your principal residence. New construction and rentals do not qualify. The credit is for materials only; installation costs can’t be included. The credit expires Dec. 31, 2010.

Tax credit amounts for other measures vary as do expiration dates. Energy Star maintains a detailed listing of energy-efficiency measures that qualify and answers to frequently asked questions. It’s a good idea to consult your tax advisor as well.