Additional Thoughts
These are a few additional thoughts for whatever they are worth...
I like the idea of the heat pump water heater, especially if you
don't have a good setup for solar water heating.
Its worth reading the reviews on Amazon regarding the AirTap -- some
have reported quite a good experience while others have had a lot
of trouble. So, read over the problems and see if they apply to
you. There are also other brands that can be looked at.
Another thing to be aware of is that while the units provide some
free cooling of the air in the summer, which is nice, they also cool in
the winter, and they may increase your space heating load depending on
where they are located. This paper discusses some potential
changes to the installation to get around this...
The saving in carbon emissions for HP water heaters depends on how
you heat your water. If you use electricity to heat your water now
and its generated by burning fossil fuels, then there is a definite
carbon saving as well -- if the HP water heater cuts your water heating
electricity use in half, then it also cuts the carbon emissions due to
water heating in half. If you now use natural gas, then the change
in carbon emissions depends on how your electricity is generated.
If you have something like solar, hydro, or wind, then there is a
good carbon saving because your electricity generation is clean.
If your electricity is generated by coal then the HP water heater
probably results in increased carbon emissions. The reason for
this is ............$$$
Gary
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