1. Heat Pump Water Heaters: Evolution to a “California Essential”
Ram Narayanamurthy
Electric Power Research Institute
Presentation to PG&E
May 10, 2019

2. Energy emissions from new homes in California
The GHG benefit accrues mainly from heat pumps and heat pump water heaters

3. Heat pump water heaters
They are not new - Date back to 1940s
Essentially an air conditioner working in reverse

4. What is new is the application of HPWH for gas markets
The importance of HPWH for building decarbonization
Market requirements for decarbonization and electrification are different from traditional electric water heating market requirements
Market Barriers to implementation
Grid integration
Technology Development Paths

5. Total HW units in CA (MM)
Housing type
NATURAL GAS
ELECTRIC
PROPANE
NOT APPLICABLE
Total
Single family
5,744,637
342,114
305,322
35,848
6,519,950
Multi family
2,335,599
338,635
35,542
30,314
3,683,184
Mobile Home
292,778
44,851
62,349
4,310
434,603
Other
89,565
14,627
10,382
3,991
126,032
8,462,578
740,226
413,595
819,928
10,763,768 %
79% 7% 4% 8%
CEC (RASS) Residential Appliance Saturation Study (2009) – IOU’s plus LADWP as participants
Measures appliance usage, NOT performance
But it does estimate Unit Energy Consumption (UEC) to understand load
NG dominates the CA res’ market. The surveyed rate is 79%, but it’s closer to 90% by other estimates.
RASS findings support the dominance of NG WH . The 10% balance divied between electric and propane.
Opportunities present themselves for both source fuel (Propane) and housing type (Mobile Homes)
CEC, RASS 2010

7. Learnings from HPWH deployment
Grid Integration of Zero Net Energy Communities
Open Demand Side Resource Integration Platform
IDSM in low income communities

8. EPRI research into HPWH
Small Commercial Evaluation
E-Tech Retrofit HPWH (1988)
Coordinated Early Deployments
Parallel innovation in low carbon generation, water savings, and natural refrigerants offer a better playing field for HPWH

9. Carbon Impacts of Decarbonization Strategies
Electricity generation mix plays a significant role in carbon impacts

10. Decarbonization Strategies for Water Heating
Efficiency
Renewables
Electrification
Multifamily water heating is more complicated - technology plays a part, but…
Application design and guidance play a much more significant role

11. 2008 EPRI HPWH Early Deployment: Who Does What
Homeowners
6 Contractors
$400 per HPWH for 125 units
Inspections
Local Power Cos to provide billing data
Stock, train
Pass on incentive
Provide information
Sell HPWHs
Installer survey
Invoice
Homeowner survey
Plan, implement, evaluate, report