Hybrid Hot Water Tanks

The Plug-in Heat Pump Water Heater Is Here!

The 120-volt plug-in heat pump water heater requires, well, half the voltage of the standard models. Any electrical device that uses 120 volts can be plugged into a standard outlet whereas 240 volt devices need special wiring and connections.  You can plug in a 240 volt appliance to an outlet with a special plug and outlet.  Think electric clothes dryers.  Most 240 V appliances, however, are hard-wired.

The thing about 240 volt appliances, though, is that you need more than just a different kind of outlet and plug.  You may need three changes to make a 240 V heat pump water heater work in your home.  First, a 240 V appliance probably needs two breaker slots in your electrical panel.  That could mean you need a bigger panel or to have an electrician rewire things within.

Second, it also uses more electricity.  That could mean having to upgrade the electrical service to your house.  If you’ve got, say, a 100 amp (A) service, you may need to upgrade to a 150 A service to install a 240 V heat pump water heater. 

Third, you’re going to have run a new circuit from the panel to the 240 V heat pump water heater.  This will require paying an electrician to open the panel, run the wiring to the water heater location, and set up the connection.  When I electrified my 1961 home in 2019, I replaced the old fossil gas water heater with a 240 V heat pump water heater.  The electrician charged me $600 to install the 240 V circuit.

So the big advantage of these new 120 V plug-in models is that they can save you thousands of dollars avoiding changes to the electrical system in your home.

Is a plug-in heat pump water heater right for you?

Heat pump water heaters use only a few hundred watts of power when they’re using only the heat pump.  The highest I’ve seen mine go since I started monitoring my electricity last year is a bit above 400 W.  Since I almost never turn on the electric resistance heat, I could have gone with an equivalent 120 V model.

What it comes down to is how much hot water your heat pump water heater can make and how much hot water you use.  Well, I guess another factor would be how afraid you are of running out of hot water.  We’ve had that problem only once with guests in the house.

If you have the electrical capacity already or are building new, you should be able to do it without adding much cost.  In an older house that would require significant changes to your electrical system, the 120 V plug-in model can save you thousands of dollars.
Two ways to make 120 V plug-in heat pump water heaters go further is to get one with a larger tank or make the water hotter and then use a mixing valve to drop the temperature before use.

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