Hybrid Water Heaters

Popular replacements for existing electric tanked water heaters are the Hybrid water heaters produced by AO Smith and Rudd/Rheem. These heat pump water heaters are most commonly 50 gallon units that effectively lower your energy bill. As a safety measure, hybrid water heaters utilize the heat pump to provide energy efficient hot water until the tank begins to run low. The sensors in the water heater will then switch the mode for faster recovery to supply as much hot water as possible to keep up with demand. Hybrid water heaters also come with multiple modes for different scenarios: 

• High Demand Mode utilizes the heat pump and maximizes the electrical usage to meet large hot water demand while still providing some energy savings. 
• Electric Heat Mode shuts down the heat pump and maximizes the electrical usage to meet maximum water demand.
• Energy Saver Mode is factory set to utilize the heat pump while using the lowest electrical consumption possible to provide the residence with standard expected hot water demand. This is the most utilized mode of use. 
• Heat Pump Mode for highest working energy savings and efficiency during periods of lowest demand.
• Vacation Mode for the highest energy savings scheduled for up to 28 days or set indefinitely. 

If a residence is already equipped with a tanked hot water heater, it is almost always more cost effective to replace it with another tanked unit over installing a new tankless unit. When your existing tank does fail, you will have the option to upgrade your unit to a hybrid hot water heater. Upgrading to the energy savings hybrid unit will typically pay for itself within 3 years based on electricity usage alone, making the upgrade a worthwhile investment over a basic replacement. Ask your plumber if a hybrid is a viable replacement for your old water heater. You’ll be surprised how much you’ll save!