Heat Pump Water Heaters

Heat pump water heaters for small commercial applications are usually air to water units without refrigerant reversal. These are typically easily installed packaged units, with or without an integral hot water storage tank. In most popular applications, they provide useful space cooling while simultaneously heating domestic hot water. Examples include commercial kitchens, photo labs, and coin-operated laundries.

A typical unit with 75°F entering room air might deliver 105 gallons per hour of hot water at 115°F tank temperature while providing about 2 1/2 tons of useful cooling to the kitchen or laundry room. The hotter the air entering the heat pump, the greater the cooling and water heating capacity. For example, the same unit with 85°F entering air might deliver 118 gallons of hot water per hour and 4 tons of cooling.

This cooling is often delivered through air ducts as "spot" cooling in kitchens and laundries, rather than trying to cool the entire room. Coefficients of Performance are typically over 3.0, which means the heat pump heats the water 3 times as efficiently as a standard electric water heater.

One of the heat pump water heater's limitations is that there are relatively few suppliers. The availability of parts and service should also be considered in the purchase decision.