Heat pump water heater

[segfault]

There are new credits available for the 2009-2010 tax year for installing energy efficient products. Link (http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_tax_credits)

One of the credits is for efficient gas water heaters. Another is for electric heat pump water heaters. So far as I know, no major manufacturer makes a standalone, all-in-one heat pump water heater. I have seen heat pump add-ons available for standard electric water heaters, but have not seen a prepackaged kit (with both a storage tank and heat pump).

The problems I see are that this is a relatively untested technology, and that it requires that the water heater be in an open area for the heat pump to operate efficiently (or a vent to the outside). Also, they require a condensation drain, and it's likely that a heat pump will be noisier than a standard water heater (but not as loud as a forced-induction water heater).

In light of the tax credits, are any major manufacturers (e.g., Rheem, Bradford-White) planning to introduce a heat pump water heater?

[SewerRatz]

The only manufacture of a heat pump system I know of is these guys at Air Generate http://www.airgenerate.com/

[segfault]

The AirGenerate heat pump is a piggyback system--you supply the tank, feed the heat pump coil inside (and hope everything aligned correctly), and wire it up... It seems like a good concept, but I wish a major water heater manufacturer would offer a prepackaged, all-in-one system.

[chris8796]

I'm not aware of any energy star qualified HPWH. Most of the systems I'm aware of are the Heat recovery units you use with an existing heat pump climate control system. These seem to be a more efficient solution, since the heat pump is already running and your just collecting the waste heat. In these systems part of the savings comes from increasing the efficieny of your existing heat pump. These are primarily used in the deep south with high AC demands. There are other units that work with geothermal heat pumps.