The Advanced Water Heating InitiativeTM (AWHI) is working to realize the significant carbon and energy savings potential of heat pump water heaters (HPWHs). Read related news highlights here about AWHI and our partners or view the newsletter online in your browser. Learn how to participate.
Bay area sets NOx emissions standards for gas water heaters and furnaces, effectively phasing them out starting in 2027.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District adopted amendments requiring the elimination of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from new water heaters by 2027 and new furnaces by 2029. We have heard in other news about indoor pollution from gas stoves. Gas water heaters and furnaces also have pollution and air quality problems. To start, they account for 96% of gas burned in homes. The pollution from gas furnaces and water heaters is vented to the outside, so it doesn’t usually affect indoor air quality like gas cook stoves do, but it does create significant outdoor pollution in the form of NOx. The District estimates these rules will avoid an estimated $890 million per year in health impacts due to reduced air pollution exposure and prevent an estimated 85 premature deaths. The new Bay Area emissions standards will be one of the first in the nation to phase out existing gas water heaters. Learn more
Engage with AWHI at an upcoming meeting
All Stakeholder Meeting
Thursday, June 8, 2023, at 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. (Pacific) This meeting is open to anyone interested in advanced water heating. Participants provide updates on water heating technologies, programs, and key AWHI activities. The topics planned for the June meeting include the Department of Energy's upcoming standards for water heating, a panel on the national 120-volt HPWH validation and commercialization efforts, and new interactive commercial heat pump water heater educational resources.
Working Group Meetings
Commercial Working Group:Thursday, June 15 at 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. (Pacific) Residential Working Group: Tuesday, June 20 at 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. (Pacific) Connectivity Working Group: Friday, June 23 at 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. (Pacific)
Let us know if you would like calendar invitations and links to join any of the above meetings. Find upcoming events and updates on our website
Manufacturers Roundtable: Central Heat Pump Water Heaters, May 31
Join the Advanced Water Heating Initiative (AWHI) and California Energy Design Assistance (CEDA) program for online educational roundtables in 2023. On May 31, a Manufacturers Roundtable will provide an overview of commercial heat pump water heaters (CHPWH) and how they can electrify and decarbonize the commercial water heating sector. We will hear from AWHI’s Commercial Working Group leaders who have led the way to overcoming barriers in commercial water heating.
The session will feature several CHPWH manufacturers, including manufacturers of skid-mounted CHPWH systems and the focus will be on performance and reliability in field installations.
During this week, a social media campaign will showcase and promote the benefits of net zero buildings for a clean energy future. Heat pump water heaters are a necessary component as they can transform water heating to zero-emissions. Email and social media resources will be provided for you to share with your network during the week of June 12-16. Learn more
2023 ENERGY STAR Product Partner Meeting and HPWH Workshop, September 25-28
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the 2023 ENERGY STAR Products Partner Meeting will take place Tuesday, September 26 - Thursday, September 28, 2023, at the Hilton in downtown Atlanta, GA. The meeting is open to all ENERGY STAR partners and stakeholders and this year’s co-sponsor is Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA). The 3-day meeting will feature informational sessions, a product Expo and networking opportunities with a broad range of attendees — everything you need to position your programs and products for success in the transition towards an efficient, clean energy future. This year will have a particular focus on the potential for efficient residential electrification in the southeast, along with content and opportunities for attendees interested in Inflation Reduction Act tax rebate programs throughout the country.
ENERGY STAR is also planning a HPWH/HP Strategic Growth Workshop on the afternoon of Monday, September 25. The tentative location is just blocks from the Product Partner Meeting venue. This interactive experience will include expert panels, dedicated networking time, and breakout sessions addressing some of the highest priorities to advancing the adoption of heat pumps in both water heating and space conditioning. More details to come.
The draft California Energy Code (Title 24, Part 6) Multifamily Domestic Hot Water report is now available for review and comment. Topics cover measures related to hot water distribution, heat pumps systems, and electric readiness. It also includes energy-saving estimates, cost analysis, market assessments, draft code language, recommended processes for compliance verification, and more. Read the report and access related resources here. Please provide your feedback by Wednesday, June 7 to Dove Feng at jfeng@trccompanies.com and Cc info@title24stakeholders.com.
ENERGY STAR Ask the Experts: What Goes into the Cost of Installing a Heat Pump Water Heater? While heat pump water heater installation costs vary widely across the country due to availability of local specialists and individual home configurations, the latest Ask the Experts focuses in on what factors impact heat pump water heater installation costs and how customers can save money. Between utility incentives and rebates and tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act, consumers can save money on installing a heat pump water heater in their home and reap benefits from reduced operating costs and emissions. Find out more information on what impacts water heater installation costs by visiting the ENERGY STAR Ask the Experts article.
Heat Pump Water Heater Market Research: Challenging Installations Scenarios.To explore the different challenging installation experiences installers faced with HPWH equipment, NEEA contracted with Cadeo Group in the summer of 2020. Findings intend to help the program develop the best practices to help installers overcome these difficulties, thereby enabling more installers throughout the region to offer HPWHs to customers as a potential replacement. Furthermore, this study supports the program's Market Transformation objectives by collecting information to inform and support NEEA’s efforts in influencing an anticipated Federal water heating standard for HPWHs. Learn more
Plug-In Heat Pump Water Heaters: An Early Look to 120 Volt Products. In this on-demand webinar,Amruta Khanolkar of New Buildings Institute gives an overview of the emerging, retrofit ready 120 volt heat pump water heaters and findings from the California statewide field validation effort. The presentation includes retrofit market opportunities and limitations with this emerging technology. This class is recommended for program managers, engineers, policy makers, installers, and California building jurisdictions. Log in, or create an account, on the PG&E courses website to watch the video.
Heat Pump Water Heaters - A Panel Discussion.Award winning builder Jay Epstein, water physicist Dr. Markus Lenger, and water and energy conservation expert Larry Acker discusses heat pump water heaters in this on-demand webinar from EEBA. Watch the video or listen to the audio recording.
Small Planet Supply has a mission to develop innovative plug and play water heating solutions for residential and commercial environments. They have created a virtual tour for a close look at their Washington facility, process, and multiple other video resources. Learn more
In January’s newsletter we asked our readers to share a favorite HPWH picture with us.
Kevin and Sarah shared this HPWH photo with us. They even wrote a blog, “Decarbonizing our Water Heater: 90 Days In”. Their dream was to get to net zero and knew their water heater was a prime candidate for replacement. In their blog they share some of the details on why and how they made the decision to change it out when they did.Read the blog
More HPWHs in the News
LG Debuts State-of-the-Art Inverter Heat Pump Water Heater During Earth Week. Published by Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Designed for eco-conscious homeowners, LG's ENERGY STAR® certified Inverter Heat Pump Water Heater delivers hot water with an impressive Uniform Energy Factor of 3.75 UEF, the industry standard for measuring water heater efficiency -- a more efficient rating than conventional gas and electric resistance water heaters. LG is a member of the Building Decarbonization Coalition and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR Manufacturers Action Council and participates in the Advanced Water Heater Initiative. April 26, 2023Read the article
Central CO2 Heat Pump Water Heater Found to Cut Energy Use by 55%. Published by R744. A central CO2 heat pump water heating system has been found to reduce the amount of energy used for hot water production at a 100-unit apartment building in Seattle, Washington (U.S.), by 55% compared to its previous electric resistance system, according to a study by local engineering firm Ecotope. The CO2-based system consists of a Heat2O air-source heat pump from Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US (METUS) and U.S. manufacturer Steffes’s plug-and-play electric water heating system, known as Origin. April 22, 2023 Read the article
This Earth Day, Invest in a Heat Pump Water Heater & Do the Equivalent of Planting a Tree (Or Forest). Published by CleanTechnica. The energy efficiency, cost savings, and versatility of heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) make them a clear choice for the environment and households across the U.S. With 120 million water heaters in the U.S. alone, we could save over 100 million tons in carbon emissions every year if all the water heaters in U.S. buildings were transitioned to heat pump technology. April 20, 2023 Read the article
Heat Pump Water Heaters 101. Published by Buildings Hub. Did you know that water heating is the second-largest source of home energy use after HVAC? Taking hot showers, doing laundry, and washing dishes can really rack up both the BTUs and the bills. April 18, 2023 Read the article
Rethinking Model Energy Codes for Net Zero Carbon Buildings. Published by ACEEE. As the electricity grid transitions to renewables, current fossil fuel use in buildings will largely need to be replaced by electric heat pumps, the most cost-effective way to decarbonize space and water heating. April 17, 2023Read the blog
Commercial: Contact Keshmira McVey, AWHI Commercial HPWH lead, with questions or for more information about the Commercial Working Group.
Connectivity: Contact Geoff Wickes, AWHI Grid-Connectivity HPWH lead, with questions or for more information.
Thank you to our supporters!
AWHI is a national collaboration between building owners, utilities, federal agencies, state and local government, engineers, educators, manufacturers, and the supply chain with stakeholders from over 400 entities. We invite your organization to join the AWHI supporters below in helping support and guide this national market transformation effort.
Connect with us to find out more or discuss sponsorship options.