Two Leading Manufacturers Bring New Heat Pump Water Heater Updates To Market

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Since coming to the market 16 years in the past, warmth pump water heaters have undergone important product evolutions and enhancements. This significant residence effectivity know-how has gotten extra environment friendly, quieter, simpler to put in and plenty of have picked up necessary options like being sensible and related and having thermostatic mixing valves that assist retailer water hotter. Evaluate this to the usual electrical resistance or gasoline water heater which have hardly modified in any respect within the final 70 years!

Whereas new producers are coming to the market on a regular basis (which we’ll be writing about quite a bit this 12 months and past), the American water heater market remains to be dominated by three corporations — Rheem, A. O. Smith, and Bradford White. Two of those corporations, Rheem and Bradford White, have not too long ago up to date their warmth pump water heaters (HPWH). We thought it was a great time to check out these new updates and see how they’re transferring the market ahead.

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Rheem at present has the most important HPWH market share within the US which advantages from sturdy partnerships with corporations like Dwelling Depot and Clayton Homes. Rheem sees large traits pushing the HPWH market to dominate different water heater sorts within the subsequent few years. To start out with, Rheem predicts (as do we) that the Federal effectivity commonplace for water heaters will drive HPWHs to turn out to be the dominant kind of water heater by 2029.

For that reason, Rheem, which launched its first HPWH in 2009, not too long ago launched the fifth technology of its Proterra mannequin (5.2) with a few groovy options. For one, this up to date HPWH is extraordinarily environment friendly, reaching a 4.07 Uniform Power Issue (UEF) which implies that for each unit of vitality you set into heating water, you get 4 items out! Evaluate this to an electrical resistance water heater which usually has a .95 UEF or a gasoline water heater which has a .6 UEF and you’ll see how dramatically extra environment friendly a HPWH is. The primary HPWHs to hit the market 15 years in the past had UEFs within the 2s and 3s. Crossing the 4 threshold is big and places Rheem’s product close to the highest of HPWH efficiencies.

With this up to date mannequin, Rheem additionally adopted the lead of another producers and added prime water connections reasonably than simply having them on the aspect like earlier than. That is key as a result of many current water heaters hook up with water pipes on the highest of the water heater. Including a HPWH prior to now meant that you just needed to run further piping to attach on the perimeters. Prime connections thus make life quite a bit simpler for a lot of installations.

Rheem has additionally responded to noise issues we’d heard from some plumbers and customers by reducing the sound of its HPWH to 45 dB, which is equal to a whisper. The one audible sound is the water heater fan, with no extra loud(ish) compressor noise.

Lastly, the HPWH can even be duct-ready. Prior to now for those who needed to duct your water heater (as a result of it’s in a small utility closet for instance), you had to purchase a separate ducting adapter which added a pair inches of house and further value. Now the contractor or proprietor can join the ducting on to the unit, saving time, house and cash.

Watch a recent AWHI working group video we did with Rheem, the place they mentioned a number of the options of its new Proterra mannequin.

Bradford White

Bradford White has the third largest market share for HPWHs and builds them in its manufacturing unit in Middleville, Michigan (which I had the chance to tour last year). Bradford White has an fascinating enterprise mannequin the place it sells water heaters solely to plumbing and HVAC contractors, bypassing retail to focus simply on skilled installers. Bradford’s HPWHs are recognized throughout the business for his or her reliability — I name them the workhorse of the heat pump water heater world.

Bradford White not too long ago launched an up to date AeroTherm HPWH referred to as the G2. The corporate stored a few of its favourite current product options like prime water connections (which they’ve had for years), Vitraglas lining with Microban antimicrobial know-how (to assist scale back any micro organism within the water heater) and 24/7 technical service (which is in style with plumbers and HVAC installers). Bradford White additionally continues to have a totally serviceable HPWH (too typically different malfunctioning HPWHs are simply fully swapped for brand spanking new ones) and its HPWHs are additionally designed to be transported each upright or laid down on the again as indicated on the field, making transportation straightforward.

What the corporate did enhance with this new mannequin are:

Prime venting: Bradford modified the place of its HPWH consumption and outlet vents which pull in heat air and launch cool air. Beforehand, the air consumption was on the highest and the discharge was on the again. Now, each are on the highest and duct-ready for 8” pipe creating zero clearance on the perimeters and again if wanted in tighter areas and simpler to vent if wanted. The filter additionally now slides out of the air consumption vent proper on the entrance for simple cleansing.

Improved Effectivity: Like Rheem, Bradford White has improved their already unimaginable effectivity much more, arriving at 4.2 UEF on the 65 gallon mannequin.

Multi-lingual LED show with inbuilt WI-FI and Bluetooth: Lastly, the G2 has Bradford White’s new unique LED show, full with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to pair to the brand new Bradford White Wave app. The show expands accessibility with a number of languages (English, Spanish, and French Canadian) which could possibly be actual assist to installers and householders whose first language isn’t English. The show additionally has an built-in CTA-2045 port as an choice for grid-connectivity.

All in all, these new updates are thrilling as a result of they present the continued innovation and enchancment of warmth pump water heaters which proceed to get higher and higher. Rheem and Bradford White, two of the largest names in water heating, are investing of their merchandise and bringing higher, vitality environment friendly, warmth pump water heaters to market which is able to profit customers and the planet.

Try a recording from and Superior Water Heating Initiative working group the place Bradford White discusses their new HPWH in depth.