Ok then, consider this:
The OP has a (somewhat) super-insulated house and an unlimited supply of free firewood, but has become tired of chopping wood. He uses propane for a backup heat source. He is considering a heat pump for primary hydronic / domestic water heating. He has bought a small (1/2 ton) air source heat pump which installs into a standard electric water heater to experiment with. He plans on running the air source heat pump in the same location as the hydronic heat store, to maximize his COP.
Now tell me this: where in the world does a natural gas fired water heater fit into this plan? Anyone?
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