cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/34021020
I recently installed an Emporia Vue with monitoring for the individual circuit my water heater is on. It captured the very significant difference in energy usage from replacing resistive heat with heat pump.
Are these things reliable? I’m not in a position to replace currently but I do like to think about these things before the need arises.
I’ve had gas tanked for years. What I appreciate is that they need nothing from me. I flush the tank once a year and that’s it. They just do their job quietly and without need. I don’t think about it, and I love that.
I’ve been burned with crappy modern appliances. Tried front load washers, three and they were all crap. Sometimes wouldn’t spin, they were smelly, expensive and unreliable. Switched back to top loader because it just works. Same experience with a dishwasher. Used very little energy, but did a lousy job, was expensive and had to fuss with it constantly.
I’d like lower energy costs but not if the thing won’t work or have weird conditions. If five people who live in the house can overrun it with two showers, thats not useful or if it takes an hour to heat a tankful.
At the core it is the same thing like an AC unit or the cooler in your fridge. The technology itself is very reliable.
You need to check though if your house installation is suitable for it and that it has the appropiate size and can be placed in the right place outside.
It might make sense to combine systems. Maybe keep the gas-heater for hot water but run your heating on the heat pump.
I have been running a Rheem one for almost 5 years now and I haven’t had a single issue with it. It’s nice that it will keep the garage dehumidified. I also set mine to 140F and it does pretty well with multiple showers. We occasionally run out but that doesn’t happen very often, maybe a handful of times per year. With rebates and installing it myself it was able to pay for itself in about 2.5 years.