The Best Heat Pump Water Heater
Author: Bill Hoelzer / Published: November 2021 / Read Time: Five and a Half Minutes
This article offers an apples-to-apples comparison of the two leading brands of heat pump water heaters - Rheem and AO Smith.
Since 2007, we’ve installed hundreds of heat pump water heaters for homeowners in Portland in Bend, Oregon. Why are so many people making the switch to heat pump water heaters?
Most people are motivated by the energy savings. ENERGY STAR estimates that an average family of four saves $350 a year on their energy bills after installing a heat pump water heater.
Water heating accounts for almost 20% of the average energy bill for American homeowners. That’s more than air conditioning, lighting, and refrigeration combined.
Especially if you have an older electric water heater, a heat pump water heater stands out as one of your best options to spend less on your energy bills. They operate about three times more efficiently.
If you're thinking about making the switch, you probably want to know, “What’s the best heat pump water heater?” Here’s an overview of how the leading brands stack up. You’ll see that the best brand in each category gets bolded in the table below.
RHEEM VS AO SMITH HEAT PUMP WATER HEATERS
In each category, Rheem demonstrates a slight advantage over AO Smith. The advantages may be relatively small (e.g. an efficiency rating of 3.5 vs. 3.4), but small differences add up to a bigger conclusion: Rheem makes a more affordable, energy efficient heat pump water heater with a stronger warranty - the best in the market.
If you’d like to know the costs and cash incentives for a new heat pump water heater in your home, please give us a call at 541.330.8767, or self-schedule an appointment in either Portland or Central Oregon.
Costs
Best Heat Pump water Heater: Rheem
Rheem and AO Smith heat pump water heaters are cost competitive, but in general, Rheem costs slightly less to install. You can expect to pay between $2.3K and $3.5K for a fully installed heat pump water heater in Portland and Central Oregon.
That’s a pretty big price range. Here are the main factors that drive the price up or down.
Accessibility
Is it easy to access the location for your heat pump water heater? If so, you’ll pay less.
Heat pump water heaters weigh as much as 200 pounds. If we need to move the water heater down stairs or maneuver around constriction points, then we’ll need to bring additional team members to both protect your home and keep everyone safe during eh installation.
An attached garage typically offers the most accessible (and least expensive) location to install a heat pump water heater.
DuctS
Most installations do not require ducts, which increase the installation cost.
Heat pump water heaters do not need ducts to operate safely and efficiently. When operating without ducts, a heat pump water heater pulls in fresh air from the surrounding area and exhausts cool air back into the same surrounding area.
If you plan to install a heat pump water heater in or right next to a living space in your home, you might want to duct the cool, exhausted air outdoors to keep a consistent temperature indoors.
Some people take the additional step of ducting fresh air to the water heater rather than using air from the surrounding area. This keeps an even air pressure in the room where your water heater is located.
Electrical
It costs more if we need to upgrade your electrical panel.
You probably won’t need to make any changes to your electrical panel if you already have an electric water heater. However, if you're installing an electric water heater for the first time, there's a good chance that we’ll need to add a new 30-amp circuit to your panel.
Energy Efficiency
Best Heat Pump water Heater: Rheem
Both Rheem and AO Smith make ENERGY STAR-certified heat pump water heaters, but just like with their price, Rheem has a slight edge.
AO Smith reports a Uniform Energy Factor (UEF) of 3.42, compared to Rheem’s UEF of 3.50. In practice, this translates to a savings of only about $10 to $15 a year.
When comparing water heaters, you’ll see their UEF on their Energy Guide label. UEF is ENERGY STAR’s newest metric to assess the overall efficiency of a water heater. Systems with a higher UEF use energy more efficiently, and hence cost less to operate.
With conventional gas and electric water heaters, you’ll typically see a UEF between 0.65 and 0.95. Heat pump water heaters operate up to four times more efficiently, so they come with a UEF between 2.75 and 3.50.
Capacity
Best Heat Pump water Heater: Rheem
At first glance, AO Smith seems to have the slight advantage with a rated storage volume of 46 gallons compared to Rheem’s 45 gallons. Here’s the catch: AO Smith’s water heater takes longer to recover, so you actually get less hot water relative to Rheem.
To measure capacity, pay attention to what’s called the “first hour rating.” It’s an estimate of how much hot water you can expect when you start with a full tank and operate the system for one hour. Just like the efficiency ratings, you can see the first hour rating displayed prominently on every Energy Guide sticker.
So how do the two brands stack up in terms of capacity? A Rheem heat pump water heater boasts a first hour rating of 67 gallons. AO Smith reports a slightly lower rating of 66 gallons.
Warranty
BEST HEAT PUMP WATER HEATER: RHEEM
You can tell a lot about the quality of a water heater by its warranty. How long will the manufacturer stand by the integrity of their tank and parts? The warranty tells you exactly how long.
AO Smith offers a six year limited warranty on their tank and parts. By comparison, Rheem stands by a ten year warranty. That says a lot about the quality and dependability can expect from Rheem.
Conclusion: The Best Heat Pump Water Heater
Rheem and AO Smith make quality heat pump water heaters - both significantly better than conventional gas or electric water heaters. We recommend Rheem to our clients because their water heaters are more cost effective and energy efficient with greater capacity. Rheem also stands by a much longer warranty - ten years versus six.
Start by giving us a call at 541.330.8767, or self-schedule an appointment if you’d like a breakdown of the costs and cash incentives to install a heat pump water heater in your home.