Hybrid Water Heater

Patrick · 10-18-10, 07:35 PM

I decided to go ahead and get a hybrid water and install it before the tax rebate (30%) runs out at the end of this year.

I went with the Rheem from Home Depot.Rheem EcoSense 50 gal. Hybrid Electric Water Heater with Heat Pump technology - HP50ES at The Home Depot

I ordered it online and they delivered it to my house for free. It took about 5 days to get here. According to the EPA sticker it only uses $284 worth of electricity per year, which is about half the average. So payback should be about 4 years (after the tax rebate). That beats the heck out of anything I could do with a wind turbine or solar PV.

I had also looked at the GE offering from Lowes, but decided against it because it requires 7" of space behind it and I just don't have that kind of room to install it. Shop GE 50-Gallon GeoSpring™ Hybrid Water Heater at Lowes.com

The GE does have a better Coefficient Of Performance (2.35) than the Rheem (2.0). Also, the Rheem has unconventional water pipe connections that will require me to redo some of the plumbing. But the GE requires more space overhead to remove the air filter.

So now my garage will be cooler in the summer (good) and colder in the winter (bad). But I don't do much in the garage in the winter time.

strider3700 · 10-18-10, 10:27 PM

interesting, I've never heard of a hybrid HW setup before. They aren't in the local home depot or rona at least. My electric tank is effectively silent but my heat pump is anything but. How does one of these compare noise wise?

Patrick · 10-19-10, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strider3700

interesting, I've never heard of a hybrid HW setup before. They aren't in the local home depot or rona at least. My electric tank is effectively silent but my heat pump is anything but. How does one of these compare noise wise?

I'm not sure on the noise. The static displays in the stores here weren't hooked up so they were silent. I haven't hooked mine up yet, but plan to in the next few days. I'll report back. My current electric element heater is silent though, so I would imagine there will be some increase in noise from the new unit.

Daox · 10-19-10, 08:39 AM

Very interesting. I know a few forum members have looked into these and will be interested to hear your results with it!

Patrick · 10-22-10, 08:25 AM

I got it hooked up. It does make some noise when the compressor is running. It's louder than my refrigerator, but quieter than my central air conditioner. It has a circulation pump that's almost silent when it is running. Since the heater is in my garage, I can't hear it at all when I'm in the house. If it were mounted in an alcove inside a home you might be able to hear it, but if the alcove had a door on it I doubt you would notice it. The unit is really quite sophisticated - it has computer controls to maximize energy efficiency and protect the compressor. I'll try to take some pictures and post them up later today.

PS - I was amazed at how small the power wires were inside the unit. I'd say they were maybe 18 gauge, 16 gauge at the most. Way smaller than the wires in the old heater.

Patrick · 10-23-10, 06:36 PM

Here are some pix of the heater.

NiHaoMike · 10-23-10, 07:07 PM

I find it interesting that it uses R-410a even in a high temperature application.

RobertSmalls · 10-28-10, 09:22 PM

What does the "energy saver" mode do?

Where is its cold sink, and does this thing blow out cold air?

Patrick · 10-28-10, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobertSmalls

What does the "energy saver" mode do?

Where is its cold sink, and does this thing blow out cold air?

Energy Saver just uses the heat pump. Normal uses the heat pump with resistive heating element backup.

The heat source is the air in the garage. It blows out cold air and transfers the heat from the air into the water in the tank.

Patrick · 10-28-10, 09:51 PM

Here are some more pics:

10-18-10, 07:35 PM	#1
Patrick Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: East Coast of Florida, USA Posts: 149 Thanks: 2 Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts	Hybrid Water Heater I decided to go ahead and get a hybrid water and install it before the tax rebate (30%) runs out at the end of this year. I went with the Rheem from Home Depot.Rheem EcoSense 50 gal. Hybrid Electric Water Heater with Heat Pump technology - HP50ES at The Home Depot I ordered it online and they delivered it to my house for free. It took about 5 days to get here. According to the EPA sticker it only uses $284 worth of electricity per year, which is about half the average. So payback should be about 4 years (after the tax rebate). That beats the heck out of anything I could do with a wind turbine or solar PV. I had also looked at the GE offering from Lowes, but decided against it because it requires 7" of space behind it and I just don't have that kind of room to install it. Shop GE 50-Gallon GeoSpring™ Hybrid Water Heater at Lowes.com The GE does have a better Coefficient Of Performance (2.35) than the Rheem (2.0). Also, the Rheem has unconventional water pipe connections that will require me to redo some of the plumbing. But the GE requires more space overhead to remove the air filter. So now my garage will be cooler in the summer (good) and colder in the winter (bad). But I don't do much in the garage in the winter time.

10-19-10, 08:39 AM	#4
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	Very interesting. I know a few forum members have looked into these and will be interested to hear your results with it! __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

10-22-10, 08:25 AM	#5
Patrick Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: East Coast of Florida, USA Posts: 149 Thanks: 2 Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts	I got it hooked up. It does make some noise when the compressor is running. It's louder than my refrigerator, but quieter than my central air conditioner. It has a circulation pump that's almost silent when it is running. Since the heater is in my garage, I can't hear it at all when I'm in the house. If it were mounted in an alcove inside a home you might be able to hear it, but if the alcove had a door on it I doubt you would notice it. The unit is really quite sophisticated - it has computer controls to maximize energy efficiency and protect the compressor. I'll try to take some pictures and post them up later today. PS - I was amazed at how small the power wires were inside the unit. I'd say they were maybe 18 gauge, 16 gauge at the most. Way smaller than the wires in the old heater. Last edited by Patrick; 10-22-10 at 08:30 AM..

10-23-10, 06:36 PM	#6
Patrick Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: East Coast of Florida, USA Posts: 149 Thanks: 2 Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts	Here are some pix of the heater. Attached Thumbnails

10-23-10, 07:07 PM	#7
NiHaoMike Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 1,154 Thanks: 14 Thanked 257 Times in 241 Posts	I find it interesting that it uses R-410a even in a high temperature application. __________________ To my surprise, shortly after Naomi Wu gave me a bit of fame for making good use of solar power, Allie Moore got really jealous of her...

10-18-10, 10:27 PM	#2
strider3700 Master EcoRenovator Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Vancouver Island BC Posts: 745 Thanks: 23 Thanked 37 Times in 30 Posts	interesting, I've never heard of a hybrid HW setup before. They aren't in the local home depot or rona at least. My electric tank is effectively silent but my heat pump is anything but. How does one of these compare noise wise?

10-28-10, 09:22 PM	#8
RobertSmalls Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: May 2009 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 344 Thanks: 3 Thanked 17 Times in 15 Posts	What does the "energy saver" mode do? Where is its cold sink, and does this thing blow out cold air?

10-28-10, 09:51 PM	#10
Patrick Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: East Coast of Florida, USA Posts: 149 Thanks: 2 Thanked 5 Times in 5 Posts	Here are some more pics: Attached Thumbnails