AESC to test heat pump water heaters for $120 million program: TECH Clean California

AESC is joining California’s $120 million initiative to expand the adoption of low-emission space and water heating technologies.

The initiative, known as the Technology and Equipment for Clean Heating (TECH), will focus on increasing technology awareness and adoption in single and multifamily homes – with a notable emphasis on low-income and disadvantaged communities.

As part of the program’s six decarbonization pilots, AESC’s emerging technology engineers will install heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) in select mobile and manufactured homes of high-poverty areas.

The group will test the effectiveness of this adaptive technology, specifically reviewing the ability for heat pumps to supply air-conditioning needs while reducing costs.

Heat pump systems provide hot water using energy from the electric grid, which in CA is increasingly renewable, with 86 percent GHG-free electricity expected by 2032, and 100 percent renewable electricity delivered by 2045.

HPWHs are a cleaner and more efficient technology than water heating using natural gas from fossil fuels. They reduce GHG emissions and avoid gas combustion that releases criteria air pollutants inside buildings. HPWHs are also 3-times more efficient than conventional electric-resistance units.

HPWHs work like a refrigerator in reverse, and includes three main components- compressor, storage tank, and fan. Instead of using a compressor to pull heat from inside the refrigerator and transferring it to the surrounding room, heat pumps pull in heat from the surrounding air, and transfers it inside a storage tank, where your water is heated- a much more efficient process.

• For rebates and incentives on heat pump water heaters, visit ENERGY STAR’s website.
• To learn more about the TECH initiative, visit energy-solution.com/tech/.
• Visit the CPUC’s website for information on California’s Self-generation Incentive Program.

Founded in 1994, Alternative Energy Systems Consulting, Inc. (AESC) is an energy engineering and consulting firm that drives solutions in energy efficiency, renewable energy, distributed energy resources, and software for utilities, governments, and the private sector.