Energy efficiency has become more than a buzzword for households and businesses. As a universal philosophy, practical uses of energy sources can have an impact on the environment. How people choose to use energy can determine whether those resources are available for the future. This universal philosophy is relative to how businesses and households manage energy usage.

Every time you turn on the heating and cooling system in your home, you make a decision about the environment. Some of the biggest environmental concerns, such as smog, acid rain and oil spills, are related to the use and production of energy. With this in mind, you can make a tremendous difference in the decision you make about purchases.

Choosing to purchase energy efficient appliances is a good way to reduce your contribution to environmental issues. Besides heating and cooling your home, water heating is the next largest contributor to energy consumption in the home. Whether you are in the market to replace your current water heating system or looking for the best option for a new house, carefully weigh your options based on the needs of your household and the environment.

The use of heat pump water heaters is revolutionizing how we heat water with efficient technology. A heat pump water heater is an electric system that heats water with a heat pump. This occurs by absorbing heat from the air and transferring it into the water tank.

Types of Heat Pump Water Heaters

Generally, energy usage is based on site and source. Site energy is the amount a water heater uses on a daily basis. Source is what energy generates and distributes. Most is lost through inefficient means, leaving approximately one-third that reaches your house. The advances in heat pump technology are improving efficiency. While the heat pump water heater uses air to heat water, it also dehumidifies the air. This gives you clean air and efficient usage.

There are two basic types of heat pump water heaters on the market today. An air source heat pump removes heat from the air. The geothermal heat pump uses underground soil.

Air Source Heat Pump

The air source heat pump removes heat from around your house by using a loop of pipes between the inside and outside. These pipes contain refrigerant that gets circulated outside, expanding and evaporating into a gas substance. The heat is absorbed and pumped inside the house. As this occurs, the heat is compressed, releasing the absorbed heat.

The heat transfers in the water unit. A standard water heater can work with an air source heat pump, so it might not be necessary to purchase a new unit. Air source heat pumps are efficient because they rely on existing heat, rather than generating more heat. This helps to save money in your budget and lower the amount of energy consumption in the house.

It is important to note that air source heat pumps do not work as well when temperatures drop below a certain level. Therefore, if you live in an area that experiences frequent below freezing temperature, an air source heat pump might not be the best choice.

Geothermal Heat Pump

Geothermal heat pumps are similar to air source heat pumps in usage. However, the energy source is taken from underground soil during the winter rather than from the air. This enables efficient usage of the geothermal heat pump can work year-round, regardless of outside temperatures.

A loop of pipes runs between the water heater inside your home and an outside source below ground. Water or antifreeze travels between the locations through the pipes. Heat picks up as the liquid substance travels and heats the water in your home.

You can save tremendously by using a geothermal heat pump in your home or business. However, it is more expensive to install a geothermal heat pump than an air source heat pump. Specialized labor is required for installation, which might exceed your budget.

Cost of Heat Pump Water Heaters

Many factors beyond the purchase price are essential to determine the cost of a heat pump water heater. Depending on the heat pump manufacturer, the average cost for a heat pump water heater can range from $1,000 to $1,800. You should also estimate the operating cost and life expectancy of the heater.

The purchase cost for a heat pump water heater typically includes installation and labor costs. You should request written estimates from at least three separate manufacturers before making a decision. The initial cost – regardless of manufacturer – is more than the traditional water heater systems.

However, you will realize more savings over time. On average, you could save up to 50 percent on water heating costs. This is generally dependent on the usage in your home, but can continue for the length of time you own the heat pump.

The operating costs for heat pump water heaters are also less. For example, a family of three that uses approximately 64 gallons of water per day could spend $185 per year. The life expectancy for most heat pump water heaters usually depend on the water hardness in your area and regular maintenance.

Determining if a Heat Pump Water Heater is Right for Your Home

You can determine whether a heat pump water heater is right for your home by considering several factors. These may include things such as location of the unit and the type of unit you currently have installed.

A heat pump water heater might work for your home if it is placed in the garage. You also want to determine if the garage is capable of isolating the cool air. If you currently have a standard electric water heater and are not downsizing from a larger unit, this could be a good option for energy efficiency in your home. Garage installation should provide adequate air flow to ensure the heat pump operates correctly.

Typically, a heat pump water heater works best in a garage where the average temperature is above 40 degrees. Therefore, you should also understand the weather and how temperatures fluctuate in your area.

Heat Pump Water Heater

Actually, what happened was that the heat in the metal rod was ‘transferred’ to the surrounding air. But suppose we reverse that: what if we devise a machine that would take a cold metal bar, extract the heat from the air surrounding it, and pump it into the metal. What would happen? The metal bar would get hot. This is exactly what ground source heat pumps do: they “pump” the heat – move it in a certain way. So, if ground source heat pumps work properly, they need a source of heat: either the surrounding air or — in the case of ground source heat pumps, the source of the heat is the heat from the ground or soil (we sometimes call them ‘geothermal heat pumps’).

So ground source heat pumps use the ground for heat – their ‘source’ for the heat is the ground. Other types of heat pumps (called ‘air source’ heat pumps) take heat from the air around them.

Ground source heat pumps can also be used to COOL a building – just reverse the process. It will now act like a refrigerator: ground source heat pumps take heat from inside and move it to the ground outside (even in the summer the ground is relatively cool – have you ever noticed?)

Again, the air source heat pump must move the hot air from inside to the hot air outside, and again the air source heat pump must work harder. So, whether you are trying to heat or cool a building, ground source heat pumps can usually operate more efficiently and result in a tremendous savings in utility bills.

Another great option for those using ground source heat pumps is to use it for heating hot water. Ground source heat pumps can be installed with an add-on device called a ‘desuperheater’ – this device partially heats your water. In summertime, when your air conditioner is running (and ground source heat pumps can double as air conditioners), the desuperheater will use some of the extra heat taken out by the air conditioning process to heat your hot water! So, in the summertime, your water will be heated for free!

In wintertime, part of the heating power of ground source heat pump is used to heat the water. If, in your home, your ground source heat pump operates most of the time (especially to cool things off in the summer) you can increase your efficiency and save lots of money in heating your water. Truly, ground source heat pumps are a modern miracle of engineering!

Ground Source Heat Pump

But suppose we reverse that: what if we devise a machine that would take a cold cup of coffee, extract the heat from the air surrounding it, and pump it into the coffee. What would happen? The coffee would get hot. This is exactly what geothermal heat pumps do: it “pumps” the heat – it moves it in a certain way.

So, if geothermal heat pumps are to work, they must have a source of heat: either the surrounding air or — in the case of geothermal heat pumps, the source of the heat is the heat from the ground or soil (we sometimes call them ‘ground source heat pumps‘).

Heat pumps can also be used to cool — and the most familiar example of one is right in everyone’s home: a refrigerator. It contains machinery that cools (removes heat) from the interior of the refrigerator, thereby keeping the food stored inside cool.

Some other examples of heat pumps: furnaces (some types), air conditioners, water heaters – there are even swimming pool heat pumps!

Some heat pumps are called air-source heat pumps, so called because they exploit the differential (difference) between the temperature of the air outdoors and the air temperature indoors. These heat pumps can be used to either heat or cool a building.

Geothermal Heat Pumps

Solar powered heat pumps are units that are powered by a solar panel that is added to the system. The heat pump itself is typically a standard air source heat pump, though some geothermal heat pumps may also be powered by the energy of the sun.

How Solar Powered Heat Pumps Work

The heat pump needs to be designed with wiring that will accommodate the solar energy panel or module. The module itself is a made from photovoltaic solar cells that convert the sun’s inherent energy into electricity to run the entire HVAC system. Depending on the number of solar modules that are connected to the system, they can produce enough energy to run other household electrical systems, lights, additional appliances or even push excess electricity onto the grid.

Solar heat pumps may be wired conventionally so that if not enough solar energy is available, the system will run off of standard electricity. When enough solar energy is available, the system uses no electricity at all –there is no cost for operating it. If power is pushed back onto the grid, your electric meter will spin backward, or if it’s a digital meter, it will decrease instead of rise. This is known as net-metering and is available from most power companies throughout the country.

Grid Tied and Off the Grid Solar Powered Heat Pumps

Systems installed in homes that are wired into the existing electrical grid are most common. They are also the most affordable. Some utility companies offer incentives for grid-tied solar systems in the form of credits or rebates. This helps lower the cost of installing the solar modules.

Of course, the system doesn’t need to be connected to the grid at all. Off the grid systems are more common in very sunny climates than they are in those that get a larger number of cloudy days. Systems can extract energy from the sun on overcast days, but not as effectively as when the sun is shining brightly. Excess power produced in off the grid systems is typically stored in batteries wired into the system.

Where Solar Powered Heat Pumps Can Be Used

Solar modules allow for the installation of solar heat pumps in all regions. However, sunnier climates will require fewer photovoltaic solar panels in order to harvest enough energy from the sun to run the HVAC system. They are therefore more cost-effective where the weather is fair more of the time.

When the heat pump is not running, the energy that is produced by the solar modules is used to power other electricity-using home devices. Excess is pushed onto the grid and credited to you through net-metering.

Solar Powered Heat Pumps and Cost

Solar powered heat pumps are not currently very cost effective due to the high price of the equipment. However, those who are committed to environmentally sound technology may want to install one to cut down on their home’s energy use and production of greenhouse gases. As the cost of technology decreases, these systems will surely become more common throughout the country.

Solar Powered Heat Pumps, The Sunny Truth!

Heat pumps are becoming more efficient than ever, saving money on energy costs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Many homeowners are choosing high-efficiency heat pumps for these reasons – to reduce utility bills in the face of rising energy prices and to reduce their impact on the environment.

Here are 3 of the highest efficiency heat pump systems on the market.

Carrier Infinity 25VNAO Greenspeed Heat Pump

Carrier’s latest heat pump is extremely efficient. Using a modulating compressor in place of a standard 2-stage rotary compressor, the Greenspeed delivers 22 SEER and 13 HSPF performance. When you replace a heat pump that is just 15 years old with this one, you’ll reduce energy use and costs by as much as 65%. The added benefit of the modulating compressor is that it produces better indoor climate control than a 2-stage model is capable of. It adjusts during each cycle to produce exactly the amount of heating or cooling required to maintain balanced, comfortable temperatures. In warm weather, one of Carriers heat pump options, the Infinity 25VNAO does a superior job removing humidity and enhancing home comfort.

Maytag PSH4BI iQ Drive Heat Pump

Maytag has really boosted their efforts in recent years to produce highly efficient heat pumps that also offer enhanced performance. The Maytag PSH4BI iQ Drive heat pump is another modulating heat pump that adjusts in increments of 1-2% during each cycle, guaranteeing minimal temperature fluctuation. The compressor runs between 40% and 100% capacity, typically staying between 40% and 65% when maintaining temperatures within your home. This produces longer cycles that heat and cool more gently. They are also more quiet because the compressor is running at lower power.

Dave Lennox Signature Collection XP21 Heat Pump

This is a very efficient heat pump with 19 SEER cooling and 9.5 HSPF heating. It should reduce costs by up to 50% when it replaces a heat pump that is 15-20 years old. There are 2 other reasons this model is one of the most efficient heat pumps available. First, it is a dual fuel heat pump that can be used in a split system with a gas furnace. Since this heat pump will cost less to run than even a 95% efficient furnace, the XP21 can be used in cool weather. When temperatures drop to the mid-30s, heat pumps lose effectiveness, so a gas furnace must be used. This Lennox heat pump gives homeowners in cold climate the opportunity to save money by using a heat pump in weather that is cool but not extremely cold.

Secondly, this heat pump is wired to accept Lennox’s SunSource solar energy modules that can produce enough energy in sunny climates to run the entire HVAC system. The equipment is expensive, but once it is in place, it may cut heating and cooling costs to zero!

There are several other high efficiency models that are worth a look. They include the Carrier Infinity 25HNB9 (19 SEER /10.0 HSPF), the American Standard Platinum ZM (19 SEER/9.0 HSPF) the Bryant Evolution 289B (19 SEER, 9.5 HSPF) and one of the York heat pumps, the Affinity YZH (18 SEER, 10.0 HSPF).

Any of these Energy Star product will help you keep energy costs under control in all four seasons.

3 of the Highest Efficiency Heat Pump Systems for your Home