One Midwest Contractor Surfing The Wave Of Heat Pumps To A Thriving Business

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For my subsequent cease on my heat pump water heater tour across AmericaI visited a big water heater installer and servicer who has created a thriving enterprise mannequin round warmth pump water heaters — US Water Heating Solutions. This firm is predicated in Arlington Heights, Illinois, however offers service to 25 states nationally. US Water Heating Options each installs and fixes water heaters and has embraced our favourite environment friendly heat pump water heaters (HPWH) in an enormous method. This in flip has led to numerous enterprise which helps this firm develop and broaden because it rides the warmth pump tidal wave into the long run.

How & Why To Trip The Wave

US Water Heating Options sees the chance inherent within the warmth pump market disruption that’s upon us. Warmth pumps are rising quickly for each house heating (substantially out pacing gas furnaces over the last five years) and water heating (increasing sales by 35% in 2023 alone). After I visited their headquarters, CEO Jim Eggert advised me how his firm views warmth pump water heaters as an “innovative, technologically advanced product line” and desires to “grab a surfboard, jump in and catch this (heat pump) wave.” They see warmth pumps as the best way of the long run and are excited by the enterprise alternative of specializing on this tools early.

This angle is exclusive within the plumbing world although, as installers are sometimes too busy with commonplace water heater installations to care about HPWHs and/or typically resistant to alter. In lots of elements of the nation it might nonetheless be tough to discover a warmth pump water heater installer.

Distinctive Coaching lab

US Water Heating Options views this hole in installer availability as a chance and is embracing warmth pump water heaters to distinguish itself from different contractors. The corporate created a singular coaching lab at its headquarters in Illinois with all sorts of water heating tools on show, together with an entire row devoted to HPWHs. Jim and his crew use the lab to simulate many potential points with water heaters in order that their technicians can apply putting in them appropriately together with diagnosing and repairing them. They even had one HPWH that had been partially disassembled to indicate techs all of the totally different elements contained in the water heater jacket.

Jim reported that this funding in his staff was an enormous alternative to get forward of the competitors. By educating his technicians on the ins and outs of warmth pump water heaters, US Water Heating Options is ready to nook a number of new enterprise, profitable contracts to put in warmth pump water heaters for utility applications and changing into one of many largest contractors servicing Rheem water heaters nationwide.

What US Water Heating Options Has Seen From the Discipline

Servicing water heaters in 25 totally different markets means US Water Heating Options has seen the nice, the dangerous, and the ugly in water heating set up. One of the widespread errors the corporate sees associated to HPWH installations is that installers don’t enable for sufficient make-up air. HPWHs want 450-700 cubic toes of air, so can’t be positioned in a small closet with out enough air flow. For the various water heaters positioned in basements and garages this isn’t a difficulty, however for water heaters positioned in utility closets, it’s key to verify the tools has sufficient air to breathe.

This cease on my warmth pump water heater tour throughout America was each enjoyable and informative. Contractors like US Water Heating Options give me hope as a result of they see the market disruption taking place in water heating and somewhat than resisting or ignoring it, have grabbed a surfboard and began to efficiently experience the wave.

Examine out a video I took of the US Water Heating Options coaching lab with CEO Jim Eggert.