I haven't put one in yet, but a number of towns in my area have outlawed gas in new homes, so it's gonna happen sooner or later.
It so happens I have a vacation home which currently has a decade plus electric heater where gas is not an option due to structural and temperature concerns.
Therefor, I plan on installing one and kick the tires myself.
Anyone have experience with these units that you'd like to share?
I assuming you're talking about electric models with a heat pump on top as well, although this all applies to separate heat pumps as well.
They're pretty good, really depends on the area you put them in because they suck the heat from the air. We tell the customer that if they already run a dehumidifier than the heat pump will replace it and they should see a good amount of savings compared to a standard electric water heater.
If they have a relatively cool, dry basement than they will see less savings but still some. If they heat the basement air with oil or gas the numbers still swing in favor of the heat pump saving money over a standard electric even when you account for the extra heat the heating system must produce.
As for reliability, we've installed a number of them over the past 5 years and they've been pretty good. We install state.
If you're talking about standalone heat pumps than all of the benefits apply and they are usually easier to fix as they are physically larger. I have one in my basement that ran great for almost 20 years until recently. If I get a chance I might fix it, I think it's just the gas pressure sensor cut-out switch. I could over ride it......
