ADDITION TO ENERGY FACT. POST STATES HAS ENERGY FACTOR 2.2 WOULD SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN ENERGY FACT 2.2
by Charles W
+3
6 answers
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Energy factor is the ratio of energy output to input, in other words, how much hot water is produced per unit of electricity or gas. The only models I have heard of with ratios above 2 (or even above 1) are heat pump or hybrid water heaters. What type of water heater do you have, and what is this add-on accessory?
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3po3
on Jan 07, 2012
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STEVE THANKS, YOUR ANSWER IS A BIG HELP & GETS ME HEADED IN RIGHT DIRECTION FOR SURE! THE UNIT I CAME ACROSS BY ACCIDENT IS A N (AIRTAP) 50 GALLON UNIT & IS AVAILABLE IN MULTI STORES BUT YOU CAN FIND IT AT lowes FOR ONE PLACE & RETAILS @ $714.00 WITH ALL NECESSARY CONNECTIONS. IT SEEMS LIKE AN (ALMOST TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE) ITEM BUT WITH YOUR INPUT ON THE 2.2 FACTOR IT REALLY SOUNDS LIKE A very good item ! THANK YOU AGAIN CHARLES
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Charles W
on Jan 07, 2012
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PS THIS IS A HYBRID HEATPUMP BTW CHARLES
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Charles W
on Jan 07, 2012
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Yeah, the 2.2 ratio is pretty standard for hybrid heat pumps. A nice ratio, but it's usually pretty expensive.
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3po3
on Jan 07, 2012
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I looked at this unit and I have my opinion about it. Its a heat pump as you already understand. It requires a discharge air system to dump the cold air outside of the house. That is an extra fee for the system as its not included. The disadvantage to this is that any air that you dump outside in winter will be laden with indoor air moisture. The result will be ice, and perhaps lots of it. All collecting right at the discharge area every time you use the hot water unit when its below 32 outside. Add to that any air leaving the house must be brought in to make up for the loss within the home. This means that you will be heating the air in the home that comes in. If your home is borderline on radon, the unit can lower the pressure plane within the basement to a point that additional radon could be delivered into the basement which would need to be dealt with. Cost of operation. Because this is a window air conditioning system only using water as the medium instead of air it will have some noise affiliated with it. Not a real big thing if the heater is in basement, but noise none the less. Also it runs on 110 volts which makes it easy to plug in, however lower voltage as compared to 220 volts makes this run at around 7-9 amps. That can become quite expensive if you use a lot of hot water in the home. While costs based against using perhaps gas or electrical heaters will be less, I am not convinced its really that efficient to operate as they claim. Warranty. They claim its lifespan is around 10 years, only they provide a one year and additional one year on parts and materials, You pay for the shipping etc. While parts available may be quite nice, your HVAC professional cost to fix as it contains CFCs will or could be quite high. Also they do not have a UL rating which is why I think it does not currently offer the energy star rating. Although they claim to have a real good safety record. Having that UL rating puts their system into a whole better light then just having their own claims that its safe. This unit from what I can tell is not part of the energy star program, meaning at least in NJ region will not qualify for any rebates so its money not well spent. I will say however its a better mouse trap then a lot of other items sold today. And I think if they get their energy star rating and get their UL rating, which may be holding up the energy star one. They may be onto something. I would like to see a 220 volt unit with a better warranty also. In the end, want to save money. Turn down the thermostat, flush heater, put blanket on it, and install a power vent system to control heat up the chimney when its not operating, Or simply purchase a on demand hot water heater.
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Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com
on Jan 08, 2012
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To answer this question a bit better and to answer the other one that you posted. Read the info supplied by Energy Star about what qualifies and what does not. This add on system does not because it does not have a six year warranty nor a UL rating. At least that is what I understand from reading and comparing this system to the energy star site. http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=water_heat.pr_crit_water_heaters
![Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com]()
Woodbridge Environmental Tiptophouse.com
on Jan 08, 2012
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