05-02-09, 09:47 AM | #1 |
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Water heater heat pump.
Has anyone else looked in to this?
Airgenerate.com | Adaptive Energy Solutions It's a heat pump that sits on top of your water heater. I wrote them a few questions, such as what it's efficiency is in a basement at 55F as their numbers are all base off 68F, I also asked if they have any problems being hooked to a timer and only coming on a few hours per day, so hopefully in a few days I'll have some answers. |
05-02-09, 02:41 PM | #2 |
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I've heard of them before, but I don't really know much about them. Overall cost of the unit + fuel I think tends to be equal with a conventional unit. In this case, the unit is more expensive, but fuel costs are lower vs the opposite.
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05-02-09, 04:11 PM | #3 |
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What about build one using parts from a cheap window or split unit A/C?
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05-02-09, 06:09 PM | #4 |
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I figure if their numbers are correct it would pay for it's self in 3 years, my co-home-owner likes the idea of have a dry basement so it would eliminate the need for a dehumidifier down there in the summer and help keep it cooler down there in the summer as well, in the winter we have to heat the house anyway, so it's either the electric heat leaching out of the water heater or it's the cheaper natural gas.
I'm sure that for $700 in parts you could get something that would heat your water, but it might cost alot more making units that don' work, this one they claim can take as little as an hour to install and that has alot of appeal that it's a complete ready to install unit that is self contained. |
05-04-09, 11:40 AM | #5 |
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I'd love to see some kind of integrated AC-refrigerator-water heater system. The water heater produces cool air as waste, while the fridge puts out heat. If you can get them talking to each other, they both win.
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05-04-09, 01:09 PM | #6 |
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Since a heat pump is based on the temp difference, you will extract less heat from 55deg than from 68deg, but it should still work. Also, the heat pump might take a longer time to get you water up to temp, making the timer have to be 4 or 5 hours instead of 1 or 2, but that would be a "try and see" kind of thing. Hopefully they will get you accurate answers to your questions.
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05-05-09, 11:50 PM | #7 |
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Here is the Email I sent them and what I got back:
-----Original Message----- Sent: Saturday, May 02, 2009 9:42 AM Hello, I was looking at your chart of coefficient of performance and noticed that it does not give the most common ambient temperature that surrounds a water heater, that being the 55F of a basement and so I was wondering what that number is. I would also like to know how well your product works with a timer as I currently have my water heater come on for two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening, would this void my warenty or cause any other problems? >>>>> We appreciate your interest in our AirTap product! The testing for our unit's ratings were done per Department of Energy guidelines with the water temperature being 58'F, and the ambient air temperature being 68'F. This testing resulted in a COP of 2.5. We've attached the AirTap informational flyer with the COP at different temperatures. At 40 F, the COP drops 20% to 2. It is recommended that the AirTap be operated at temperatures of 50 F and higher for greatest efficiency. While we do not have an exact COP for 55 F, we do know it will be between 2 and 2.5. Also, running your AirTap with an electrical timer should cause no problem with the AirTap's operation, and will not void your warranty. Just make sure that the timer supplies the AirTap with a dedicated 15 amps of 110V current so that there are not any current allocation issues. Thanks, and if you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us here at the Sales & Support Center! -Jason Jason Baker AirGenerate Support Center 713.574.6729 option 2 support@airgenerate.com |
05-06-09, 07:16 AM | #8 |
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What is COP?
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05-06-09, 08:02 AM | #9 |
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That's a measure of efficiency of a heat pump. It is energy transferred over energy used.
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05-06-09, 06:20 PM | #10 |
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COP is coefficient of performance, or the comparison of how much energy it takes to heat or cool, if I can create twice as much heat in the tank of water with a heat pump per watt of energy then I would if I just had a resistive heating element, then it gets a rating of 2, not great for a heat pup but it would meen your water heating bill would be half.
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Tags |
heat pump, hot water |
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