Heat Pump Retrofit

Thinking that you are spending too much money on heating your water? Have an old water heater that just isn't efficient, but works fine, so you can't justify spending the money to get a new one? Here's the answer.

A company based out of Tennessee has created an addition "heat pump" to heat residential water that sits on top of a regular water heater. This will allow your water to stay nice and warm, but without the high monthly price tag. It also helps homeowners to save money on energy costs.

Source: I originally found the article in flex your power's monthly article: http://www.fypower.org/news/?p=2894&utm_medium=email&utm_source=eNewswire&utm_content=601417125&utm_campaign=e-Newswire+Issue+642+_+htujb&utm_term=New+Heat-Pump+Retrofit+Gives+Homeowners+Option+to+Save+Energy+With+Existing+Water+Heaters But the short description that I will quote next is from: http://www.buildinggreen.com/auth/article.cfm/ID/3971/ Here are some details about the retrofit kit:

The engineers at AirGenerate (previously Beyond Pollution) appear to have done something remarkable: create an affordable, effective, heat-pump water heater that can be retrofit onto a conventional gas or electric water heater, more than doubling the energy performance compared with a standard electric water heater. The AirTap A7 water heater has a rated output of 7,000 Btu/hour (7.4 MJ/hour), a first-hour rating of 42.5 gallons (160 l), a maximum water temperature of 135°F (57°C), an efficiency of 240% (coefficient of performance of 2.4), and an energy factor of 2.11. (Energy factor is a standardized measure of performance of water heaters; the higher the number, the better.) All this is in a unit that measures only 18" wide by 14" deep by 14" high (460 x 360 x 360 mm), weighs only 48 pounds (22 kg), and sits on top of a standard water heater. The list price is $499. The energy factor and first-hour rating of the AirTap are certified by GAMA (previously the Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association and now a broader association of appliance and equipment manufacturers).

This is an excellent option for energy-conscious homeowners who want to save some money, but not go replacing all of their appliances every time something more "energy efficient" comes out.