In this video
- One-of-a-kind prototype from a trade with the Deye factory, available as local pickup only
- Prioritizes solar power first and falls back to grid power, just like Airspool's solar hybrid mini-splits
- 75-gallon tank rated around 27,000 BTU (roughly a two-ton heat pump) that can supply hot water for showers all day and night
- As a heat pump, it pulls heat out of the surrounding air, so running it in a garage also cools that space
- Runs on a variable-speed compressor, works with as little as 1,000 watts of solar, and ships with a five-year guarantee
Questions this video answers
What is a solar hybrid heat pump hot water heater?
It's a hot water heater that uses a heat pump to extract heat from the surrounding air instead of burning gas or using pure electric resistance, and it's wired to run on solar power first with the electrical grid filling in only when needed.
How much can a heat pump water heater save compared to an electric water heater?
Dave and Todd estimate it can save around 70% compared to a standard electric water heater, and the savings are even bigger in high-electricity-cost states like California, where you can run it on solar during the day instead of paying peak grid rates.
How many gallons and BTUs is this solar heat pump water heater?
It's a 75-gallon tank rated at about 27,000 BTU, which Dave compares to roughly a two-ton heat pump, enough hot water for showers all day and into the night.
Will a heat pump water heater cool down my garage?
Yes. Because a heat pump water heater pulls heat out of the surrounding air to heat the water, installing it in a garage will act like a bonus air conditioner for that space while it's running.
How much solar power does it take to run this water heater?
The factory rates it around 1,000 watts of solar, similar to Airspool's solar hybrid mini-splits, though Dave notes that given its roughly two-ton size, 1,500 watts is a more realistic target. It's variable speed, so with less solar input it simply runs slower rather than not running at all.
Is this an official Airspool product?
Not yet. This particular 75-gallon unit was a one-off trade with the Deye factory and is being offered as local pickup only, but Dave says Airspool may start carrying solar hybrid heat pump water heaters at around $4,000 if they add them to the lineup.
Does a solar heat pump water heater work with a schedule?
Yes, it comes with an app that lets you schedule the unit to run during daylight hours so it heats water using free solar power, then coasts on stored hot water overnight.
Is a heat pump water heater a good fit if I already have natural gas?
Probably not the best fit. Dave notes this type of unit makes the most sense for all-electric homes, especially in states with high electricity rates and heavy hot water usage, rather than homes that already have natural gas.
Transcript
Read the full transcript
Dave: Hey guys, Dave here, and I'm here with Todd. Todd has put together a little something — we did a trade with Deye, the factory, because they were here exhibiting at the air conditioning show last month and didn't really want to take this bad boy back, since it weighs, I think, over 300 pounds. So we're going to do this as a local pickup. Anyone who wants this — it's not really an Airspool product, it's not solar air conditioning or heating, but we're calling it a prototype. I mean, it's supposedly tested, and it's the first of its kind here.
Todd: This is the first one in America, okay?
Dave: So we'll be very diligent, since it's the first one, in terms of allowing returns or whatever, but local pickup only.
Dave: You can see the electronics in here. This is basically the same thing as a solar hybrid mini-split or multi-split, but a little different in that it's a heat pump. Cold water comes down that line down there — we'll provide those lines — and hot water comes out here. It runs on 240, which Todd has set up here. You can see the solar wires, and we have a cover to put over that so it'll be relatively tidy. There's a duct, kind of hard to see, that we'll work to knock out. So if you put this in your garage — if you already have natural gas, this probably isn't the best thing for you, right, Todd?
Todd: But if you've got an electric water heater, this will save probably 70%.
Dave: If you're in California and you're paying 40 cents a kilowatt-hour, you can potentially just run this 75-gallon tank during the day — schedule it, right? We can schedule it with the app, which we'll show you in a minute — and just run it on solar. The other thing, since it's a heat pump, is that it has to pull heat out of the air on one end to make hot water come out the other end. So if it's in your garage, it's actually cooling your garage while it does that.
Todd: Yeah, it's air-conditioning your garage.
Dave: So how many — we haven't figured out exactly how many BTUs that is yet, right?
Todd: 27,000 BTU.
Dave: 27,000 — so that's like a two-ton unit. It's like a two-ton heat pump in your garage when it's running, okay? The difference is it's not going to be a continuous load like a mini-split would be. But when it's running, you've got two tons of air conditioning going into your garage.
Todd: It's a 75-gallon tank, so you can take showers all day long.
Dave: All day, all night, in stereo. So have it run during the day, come home, take your showers or whatever, and it'll give you hot water throughout the whole night. But since it is a hybrid — right now we don't have any solar hooked up to it, and right now it's still reading in Celsius — it's got a kind of unique little controller here, and you can hear it starting to hum along. We're going to guarantee this will work for you, five-year guarantee. Take it home locally, back to California or wherever.
Todd: Bring help.
Dave: Bring help — it's a beast, it really is. But it might be the shape of things to come in terms of hot water heaters. In terms of the amount of solar, the factory says it mainly runs off 1,000 watts, similar to the mini-split. Since it's about a two-ton unit, it's probably a little more like 1,500 watts of solar, but whatever you can put together will get it going, and yes, it's variable speed — if you only feed it 1,000 watts of solar, it'll still run, just slower. And these days you can get 1,000 watts of panels for 800 bucks or so, and then free hot water forever.
Dave: We'll put this one on the site. Todd, you want to show them on your phone how it works? There's an app for that. So there's the controller — you have two ways to turn it on.
Dave: So right now it's — oops.
Todd: There you had it.
Dave: I had it. There we go. So it's turned on now, supposedly.
Todd: No, it's got a time delay on it because it's a heat pump, so it doesn't kick on right away. Give it a minute.
Dave: All right, so trust us that it will work. We'll show you if you come by — we'll show you how it works and that it's working. These will probably retail for close to $4,000 or so, so this one will be less. We'll put the link up on the website, and on YouTube, on how to get to it. It's an interesting critter — first one in the United States. So you'll be the first on your block, first in your neighborhood, first in your state, first in your country to have this solar hybrid heat pump hot water heater. Thanks.
