One Dwelling Builder Grows the Whole Warmth Pump Water Heater Market by 30% – CleanTechnica – TechnoNews

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Clayton, a number one single-family dwelling builder, lately made massive environmental information by deciding to transform practically the entire 42,000 fashionable manufactured properties it builds yearly to be licensed ENERGY STAR and Zero Power Prepared Houses (ZEHR). These certifications imply that its manufactured properties shall be far more environment friendly, save owners cash on their utility payments (as much as 50%) and supply premium energy-efficient home equipment which can be usually thought-about unaffordable to the common household.

Clayton’s change to ZERH additionally means practically all of its properties now include a warmth pump water heater (HPWH), which seemingly represents the only largest procurement of HPWHs within the historical past of the know-how. To place it in context, the complete HPWH market in 2022 shipped 141,000 models, and Clayton alone will improve this whole by 30%!

The Causes Clayton Made This Transfer

Clayton’s resolution to modify to warmth pump water heaters is successful story for the Inflation Discount Act (IRA). The IRA elevated the tax credit score dwelling builders obtain for each ENERGY STAR-rated properties (from $1,000 to $2,500) and Zero Power Prepared Houses (from $2,000 to $5,000). Warmth pump water heaters proved to be one of many key applied sciences that helped Clayton qualify for the total ZEHR tax credit score. Ron Powell, president of producing for Clayton Dwelling Constructing Group, stated, “Based on how we built ENERGY STAR 2.0 homes, one of the easiest ways to meet 3.0 standards was to swap the traditional dual element water heater for a heat pump water heater and add a heat pump for electric homes. But once we committed to the heat pumps, the conversation then turned to, ‘Why don’t we go all the way by building DOE Zero Energy Ready Homes?’”

Clayton is asking its new Zero Power Prepared dwelling eBuilt®. The corporate had 39 of its 40 dwelling constructing amenities licensed to provide to this normal by Could 2023, and as we speak 96% of all new Clayton dwelling orders are eBuilt®. The properties function LED lighting, sensible thermostats, low-e home windows with argon fuel, insulated doorways and thermal envelope, further insulation, a warmth pump water heater, and lots of the properties have a warmth pump for area conditioning as properly. Due to the IRA tax credit, Clayton was in a position to provide a complete of 25 effectivity options with out elevating its costs to the top client.

36,000 eBuilt properties have already been manufactured, and within the first 6 months of manufacturing, Clayton constructed extra ZEHR licensed properties than all the opposite ZEHR licensed properties constructed by different dwelling builders since 2013.

A Warmth Pump Water Heater Success Story

Clayton made a pair modifications when including HPWHs to all their properties. First, they redesigned their dwelling flooring plans for the warmth pump water heater, making a utility closet that accommodates the warmth pump air handler. This helps maintain the noise produced by the water heater followers (often round 45 dB like a quiet dishwasher) from bothering anybody. Clayton additionally ships the water heater with nylon straps as an alternative of steel, which reduces vibration if the straps aren’t eliminated as soon as the water heater is put in.

The change to HPWHs hasn’t been completely with out challenges. Clayton has gone to vital lengths to guard the HPWH whereas the house is being constructed (see photos under), however some installers I’ve talked to are discovering issues with the HPWH ducting after the house has been commissioned and are having to offer repairs. Different business insiders are questioning Clayton’s resolution to duct simply the HPWH exhaust, as it might create damaging stress inside the dwelling. Clayton stories that it has since modified the way in which warmth pump water heaters are vented to remove the damaging stress danger.

However general, Clayton is receiving very optimistic suggestions from the tens of hundreds of latest eBuilt owners. They heard from one longtime Clayton home-owner who switched to a brand new eBuilt dwelling and stated that their power invoice had gone from $250 a month within the winter to $75. The decrease power  payments that include these Zero Power Prepared licensed properties deal with the problem of the “hidden mortgage,” the place month-to-month possession prices, like power payments, may be virtually as a lot because the mortgage itself. “Energy costs rose 14% in 2022 – double the cost of inflation – and 20 million families currently struggle to pay their power bill,” stated William Jenkins, Clayton Dwelling Constructing Group’s senior director of atmosphere and sustainability.

Clayton’s historic transfer to warmth pump water heaters and different energy-efficient options in its eBuilt house is a win-win-win. Owners profit from decrease utility payments, the atmosphere advantages from drastically lowered emissions, and the corporate advantages from good press and sensible tax credit. It exhibits how even one firm can considerably speed up market transformation. Kudos to Clayton for making this massive transfer in the direction of an energy-efficient, low-cost future.

Watch a video of Clayton Houses presenting on its transfer to HPWHs to the Superior Water Heating Initiative right here.