What Do a National Lab, a Home Builder, and an Elephant Have in Common?

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Answer: They’re all advancing heat pump water heaters!

Late last year I went on an epic Heat Pump Water Heater Tour across America — where I visited a bunch of amazing individuals and organizations making heat pump water heaters the de facto hot shower provider of the 21st century. I also brought my heat pump water heater (HPWH) costume and did a heat pump boogie with the great people I interviewed. In Colorado, I stopped to visit three key orgs that are on the front lines of this movement — doing research, building new homes with HPWHs, and helping connect the dots for consumers trying to get one in their home.

HPWH Research at National Renewable Energy Lab

First, I hit up the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, where cutting-edge research is being done on heat pump water heaters. I chatted with researcher Bethany Sparn who showed me around their integration lab. Here, NREL researchers experiment with how HPWHs and other electric appliances interact with the grid. They test the load shifting capabilities of heat pump water heaters to see if the equipment can successfully operate at off-peak times of electricity usage without impacting homeowners’ needs for hot water. NREL is also testing the new 120-volt HPWHs that plug into a standard outlet. Bethany talked to me about a recently funded project to make 120-volt HPWHs even smaller so they can fit into tight spaces like closets in multi-family apartments. Nifty!

Watch my tour of NREL’s lab here.

HPWHs in New Construction with Thrive Home Builders

Next, I went to visit Thrive Home Builders in Denver, who are installing HPWHs in all their new home construction. Thrive is moving to HPWHs both because local codes are starting to require them and because customers are demanding higher efficiency from their water heaters. I toured one of Thrive’s new abodes and was impressed by the fact that the homebuilder was successfully able to install a HPWH in a townhome. This can be a challenge because HPWHs need air space (to extract heat from) and townhomes can have less space than single-family homes. Thrive overcame this problem by designing their HPWHs into closets where they duct them outdoors.

Watch my tour of a Thrive townhome here.

Elephant Energy Helping Consumers sInstall Heat Pump Water Heaters

Before finishing my tour, I went to Elephant Energy, a climate tech startup that is helping homeowners electrify their homes. Elephant helps consumers create their own electrification roadmap and then facilitates each step of their journey to all-electric homes. A big part of that journey includes getting a heat pump water heater. Elephant reps described how they guide homeowners through the process, tailoring the approach based on where their water heater is located and what type of existing water heater they have. Elephant coordinates the HPWH installers who come and replace water heaters and helps consumers apply for rebates. All this work helps make the process of getting a HPWH easy breezy for consumers that might be intimidated otherwise.

Watch my interview with Elephant Energy here.

The Colorado stops on my HPWH Tour Across America were fun, informative, and inspiring. These three Colorado-based organizations are leaders making heating water less expensive and better for our planet. Innovation and market transformation in favor of HPWHs is taking off here in Colorado and across the United States.

If you geek out as much as I do about heat pump water heaters and their potential to save the planet, check out the Advanced Water Heating Initiative for everything you need to know about the technology!