Adventures in Water Heating

How and why I went from a gas tank water heater to an all-electric tank water heater.

It all started with a leak. The symptom was wet ground around my 20-year-old gas tank outdoor water heater. The cure was a new water heater. The previous year’s repair wasn’t going to last much longer. Here was a chance to test my environmental cred and find a more efficient water heater, or maybe even rid myself of a fossil fuel appliance entirely. I’ll give away the ending right here and tell you that I did get rid of that fossil fuel appliance and replaced it with an electric option that runs mostly on renewable sources, an option I hadn’t even heard about when I first stared down at the saturated ground at my feet. How I got there and exactly what I got are the real story…

My first thought was “heat pump!”. I had heard that heat pumps were among the most efficient and climate friendly options for heating and cooling homes, and that there were heat pumps for heating water as well. I was excited to see if that would be a good option. (Also known as hybrid electric water heaters) I did a quick online search and found rave reviews for heat pump water heaters from the EPA, the Sierra Club, the Environmental Defense Fund, and even Bob Vila’s “This Old House”. I noticed, however, that the heat pumps all seemed on the large side and I wondered if there were any scaled down options for my small house.

Another option was the tankless water heater. This type typically does use natural gas, but they use less gas overall than a traditional gas tank water heater, as they only heat water on demand and do not keep the tank of water warm at all times. They also are much smaller than any other type of water heater, so they seemed worth considering.

I reached out to plumbers I had used in the past. They sent someone out to take a look, agreeing that the water heater had to be replaced, and ASAP. They didn’t seem to know about the heat pump option. They recommended replacing mine with another gas tank water heater, or a tankless version, and sent me estimates which made my eyes pop. I looked on Yelp for highly rated plumbers who seemed to do a fair number of water heaters and called one who was close by. He at least knew about heat pumps but did not recommend them for my situation and gave me estimates for gas tank and tankless water heaters. He did not come out to check the site which made me nervous. At least his estimates did not stun me.

More Yelp research for the Los Angeles region led me to a company that specialized in water heaters. In fact, all they do is install water heaters. They are called…wait for it…The Water Heater Company. I called and they sent someone out to give me suggestions and estimates. Justin knew about all the options I was familiar with and added one more, the electric tank water heater. We went through each option in Goldilocks fashion.

The heat pump water heater was too big in size and cost for my 932 sq ft house. The gas and the newer electric tankless water heaters were on the expensive side but would easily fit in the space available. However, the tankless gas water heater would have required a very expensive gas upgrade. While tankless gas water heaters use less gas overall, they require a bigger burst of gas for each Instant heating of the water, and my old gas infrastructure wasn’t up to the job. Both gas and electric tankless water heaters also require more regular maintenance than other options, and electric tankless parts are not readily available at this stage. None of those was just right.

Turning to the tank water heaters, Justin pointed out that the newer versions of the traditional gas tank water heaters are much more efficient than my 20-year-old relic, and I would be reducing my gas use if I simply put in a new gas tank water heater. This was sounding better than the other options, but it still wasn’t just right.

And then Justin described the all-electric tank water heaters, an option that I hadn’t heard of and that hasn’t been getting much press as far as I can see. It was the same size as my old gas tank water heater and would fit in the existing metal outdoor water heater closet. And it was slightly cheaper than the gas tank water heater…score! I would need to put in a new circuit breaker and plug which would bring up the cost a bit, but still leave it well under the other more expensive options. In the end, with all of the electrical upgrades, the total cost (April 2022 prices) was $2598 vs. $2178 for a gas tank version. It was just right.

Now as we all know a significant part of our electricity still comes from fossil fuel sources (40% in California in 2020). How was my new electric tank water heater going to get me closer to being fossil fuel free? Two words: solar panels. Way back in 2012 my husband and I invested in rooftop solar panels. I’ll tell that story in another blog, but for the moment it explains why my new electric tank water heater is virtually fossil fuel free. Only on the occasions that the utility grid has to supplement my solar-sourced power does my water heater use any fossil fuel resource. And as soon as I put in a battery storage unit for my solar panels, the water heater will be fully solar-powered and fossil-fuel free. Hopefully that will be soon!

So, if you have a larger house (or multi-unit building) and/or are looking into new HVAC as well, look into heat pumps. Heat pumps do seem to be the most efficient and climate friendly option where feasible. Otherwise, I highly recommend an all-electric tank water heater. It’s been a few months now and I’m loving it.

P.S. And yes, I know that all of this new all-electric equipment is still using fossil fuels in its manufacture, just as gas-powered appliances do. But if I have to replace an appliance anyway, I am choosing to go all-electric from here on out. I hope you will too!

Next time…Why electrify? The bigger story behind the movement to electrify our building systems and wean ourselves off natural gas in every sector.

Sources

Energy Saver – Heat Pump Water Heaters
Sierra Club – Building Electrification: Heat Pump Water Heaters Illustration
Sierra Club – What the Heck Are Heat Pumps?
Sierra Club – New Analysis: Heat Pumps Slow Climate Change in Every Corner of the Country
California Energy Commission – 2021 Total System Electric Generation

PBS Newshour – Using Heat Pumps As Greener Alternative To Fossil Fuels