Empower Your Community: Personal Environmental Action in the Age of Trump 2.0

Think Globally, Act Locally – Environmental Action in Challenging Times

Making It Easier to Switch to a Heat Pump Water Heater

The current political climate can make taking positive environmental action feel daunting. Many feel overwhelmed by policies and court decisions that hinder progress. Yet, individual actions can still make a difference. Our family has been working on reducing our home’s carbon footprint since we moved near UCLA a decade ago.

So far, our journey has been fairly straightforward. Living in California has its perks, with plenty of programs to assist with upgrades. Recently, we switched to a heat pump water heater. While we are happy with the results, the process could have been smoother.

I realized few of my friends in the environmental community had tackled similar home upgrades, so I wanted to share our experience.

Steps for Home Decarbonization

Decarbonizing our home has included several manageable steps. We started with LA’s Home Energy Improvement Program. They inspected our house and provided free LED lightbulbs. They also offered insulation work, but our home was already well insulated. We later added a solar array from LA Solar Group, which covers all our energy needs, even after trading our gas cars for electric vehicles.

Though we haven’t removed our gas cooktop, we now have an excellent induction cooktop that we use for most cooking tasks.

Recently, we completed the retrofit for a heat pump water heater. Our next major upgrade will be replacing our HVAC system with a heat pump system.

We’ve made several water-saving improvements too. We installed low-flow showerheads, removed our backyard grass, and added low-water toilets, which we got for free from LADWP. Our front yard features low-water native landscaping, and we have plans for more extensive xeriscaping in the future.

Why the Switch to Heat Pump Water Heaters?

Choosing to replace our outdated gas water heater took time, especially since many contractors suggested gas or electric tankless options. These alternatives offer some efficiency, but electric options can be energy-intensive, while gas still relies on fossil fuels.

Eventually, I discovered that heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) are the most efficient choice. According to this post by NRDC, upgrading to a HPWH significantly cuts energy use and CO2 emissions. In fact, it can reduce utility bills by over $500 a year for a family of four!

Finding the Right Contractor

One hurdle in our switch was finding a knowledgeable contractor. Many were hesitant or claimed HPWHs weren’t a good choice. After reaching out to numerous contractors, I was fortunate to find Reliable Air Conditioning & Heating. Eli and Jenelle were helpful, knowledgeable, and patient in explaining the technology and navigating available incentives.

Incentives for Switching

There are significant incentives for transitioning from a gas to a heat pump water heater. In our case, we had three main incentives:

• Federal tax incentive (30%) from the Inflation Reduction Act;
• California’s TECHClean incentives ($3,800 for a 65-gallon unit); and
• An LADWP rebate of $1,500.

Our total project cost was just over $7,000, but after incentives, we only paid around $1,600.

Challenges We Faced

We encountered several issues along the way. Our old water heater broke right before the TECHClean funds depleted for the year. We faced a frustrating wait of about six months before we could proceed with the installation. Eventually, we decided on a non-hybrid heat pump model, which uses more electricity only if we run out of hot water. Thankfully, we haven’t had major problems, aside from a couple of human errors with settings.

Final Thoughts

In all honesty, switching to this eco-friendly water heater proved more complicated than expected. I worry others might shy away from making similar upgrades due to these challenges. While I hope future experiences improve, it’s clear that homeowners, contractors, and incentive programs need to simplify the process for everyone serious about making environmentally conscious choices.