According to the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), 40 percent of Pacific Northwest homes use electric water heaters, which account for 15 to 20 percent of residential energy use. Newly developed heat pump water heaters will use 50 percent or more less energy, which could lead to substantial savings for residential customers.

Wahkiakum PUD is one of 11 utilities in the Northwest selected to participate in a study of the efficiency of heat pump water heaters in residential settings. There are a total of 40 treatment sites in BPA’s region and a total of approximately 160 nationally.

Eligible PUD customers were invited to participate in a selection lottery. The PUD selected three local homes, including one in Cathlamet, one in Rosburg, and one in Naselle.

The BPA study will determine if the units provide energy efficiency in a real-life setting and collect qualitative information about their use in a residence. In addition, BPA is conducting lab tests to provide data about their usage in a controlled environment.

The local homeowners participating in the project have agreed to allow BPA to sub-meter their water heaters to measure the efficiency of the units until the project concludes in December 2011. Each of the participants will also participate in pre- and post-study tests of the units, report on ease of maintenance, noise levels, comparisons of the new units versus their old electric water heaters and the impact on their electric bills.

Kacie Bedney, a BPA Energy Efficiency program representative, and Aaron Winer from Fluid Marketing Strategies joined Lia Sealund, PUD Account Specialist, at Debbie and David White’s residence in Rosburg recently to review the installation and to go over maintenance and operation procedures.

The unit at the White’s residence is expected to consume approximately 2195 kilowatt hours annually, which would create a PUD bill of $145.97 versus the 4773 kilowatt hours ($317.40) used by the previously installed conventional unit.

According to a BPA press release, the operation of a heat pump is similar to a refrigerator working in reverse. A refrigerator removes heat from and expels it into the air, while a heat pump water heater takes heat from surrounding air and transfers it to an enclosed tank to heat the water.

Further information about the project can be found by contacting the PUD office or by visiting the following website: http://www.bpa.gov/Energy/N/pdf/BPA_HPWH-demo-project_Overview_Final.pdf.