Working Group Updates
AWHI currently has four active working groups, comprised of market experts, that are tackling the barriers preventing growth in market share of HPWHs. As part of the national expansion, the scope of these groups, which started out as a West Coast initiative, is being scaled to create other regional collaboratives across the U.S. We had a chance to sit down with the working group leads to ask them about their efforts and goals around coordinating research, developing technology, engaging manufacturers, providing education, and supporting policy makers and efficiency program administrators. If you are interested in being part of an AWHI Working Group, please contact us at info@advancedwaterheatinginitiative.org.
We asked each working group lead three critical questions...
Residential 240V Working Group
Owen Howlett, Research Strategist at Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) has been facilitating the Residential 240V Working Group since 2019.
Q: Can you tell us more about this working group’s goals?
A: This group is working to swiftly increase the installation HPWHs in single family applications, as well as in-unit multifamily applications. Since this technology has existed in the market for several years, the focus is on building market confidence, demand, and sharing information on best practices for the supply chain, consumers, and utility programs. These efforts are focused first on the West Coast and will then roll out nationally. The group’s goal is that 100% of residential water heater sales are heat pump products by 2030.
Q: What barriers is the working group striving to overcome?
A: Previously, the technical, program, and policy development work would have been siloed and done in sequence, but it now needs to be approached simultaneously because of aspirational state-level GHG goals and the rapidity of climate change. We’re proposing a national effort to engage state-level policymakers, regulators, and utility decisionmakers, to fast-track the development of new programs. If we’re successful, we’ll offer resources to the whole supply chain, from manufacturers through distributors, installers, utilities, and their customers.
Q: What are some of your plans and recent accomplishments?
A: We have gathered technical, program, and policy development representatives to work together as a single team. This is a different approach from previous attempts to increase market penetration. This approach recognizes that involving (for instance) building code writers and marketing professionals at the beginning of an incentive program development process, or even at the beginning of a product development process, can lead to more rapid scaling, which is what utilities are now seeking from their programs. The Building the Demand for Unitary Heat Pump Water Heaters report, developed by this group over eight months, describes the best practices and future steps we think are necessary to transform the residential unitary water heater market toward heat pump products. A template logic model was also created for utilities with the characteristics of successful 240V HPWH programs to quickly develop a new HPWH program or add elements to their existing program.
———
Residential 120V Working Group
Jim Lutz, Hot Water Efficiency Researcher at Hot Water Research (HWR) has been facilitating the Residential 120V Working Group since 2019.
Q: Can you tell us more about this working group’s focus?
A: We are working on HPWHs that can easily plug into existing 120-volt electrical outlets in homes. We know that this technology has tremendous potential to reduce carbon and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, compared to conventional gas-fired water heaters. In the California residential sector where they have mild temperatures, heating water for showers and other domestic uses is the largest use of energy in the average home—even before space heating.
Q: What barriers is the working group striving to overcome?
A: Manufacturers are in the process of developing more of these products, but they are not yet as far along as other unitary water heaters. Prior to this effort, manufacturers were claiming, “we’re not seeing a demand for this technology” and utilities were saying, “we’re not seeing products in the marketplace.” Those are the changes we are working to create.
Q: What are some of your plans and recent accomplishments?
A: Our Working Group is now working with manufacturers, utilities, facilities, consumers, and others to create more awareness of this technology and bring more installations to the market. A field trial will start soon in California to get independent verification that 120V HPWHs can easily and efficiently deliver the hot water that people want and reduce their carbon footprint.
Four manufacturers have now signed up to get involved and we have Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE), and Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) also taking part in a field trial. There is potential for more partners to get involved. In the next year, we should have initial field study findings to share so that they can be used as widespread as possible. Learn more about the 120V field study.
———
Commercial Working Group
Keshmira McVey, Program Manager Emerging Technologies at Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) has been facilitating the Commercial Working Group since 2019.
Q: Can you tell us more about this working group’s goals?
A: The working group’s goal is that by 2026, commercial heat pump water heaters are the product of choice in 90% of new multifamily construction. This market transformation approach focuses on competitive product pricing, developing plug-and-play HPWH systems, and market engagement. The fully packaged, skid mounted, plug-and-play systems will be easier to install; provide load shifting for grid flexibility; and use low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants.
Q: What barriers is the working group striving to overcome?
A: The group focuses on larger HPWH systems that meet multifamily and small commercial hot water demands that are typically served by large gas boiler systems. Custom-engineered HPWHs have been the norm so far. This approach seeks to standardize the systems, ensure persistent energy savings and performance. The HPWH system must be priced right, using a mix of codes and incentives. HPWHs must have known quantifiable, repeatable, and persistent energy savings. Salespeople, installers, and customers need to know how to sell, install, and operate the system.
Q: What are some of your plans and recent accomplishments?
A: With our partners we spearheaded development of a free online tool, the Ecosizer, for sizing central water heating systems to appropriately size central HPWH systems. We are partnering with multiple HPWH manufacturers to deliver to the marketplace five (two CO2 products and three new low-GWP products) fully developed, fully packaged, plug-and-play central HPWH systems with design guidelines. Our group developed the full specification for Advanced Water Heating Version 8. Multiple trainings have been developed and conducted, including the first set of trainings focused on technology, design, policy and making the business case for Commercial HPWH implementation. We recently partnered on a new demonstration project of a Mitsubishi system in the Seattle Housing Authority’s 100-unit Bayview Tower. This is a first of its kind application that provides a load shifting, CO2 refrigerant commercial skid mounted system to a multifamily, multi-use building with multiple improvements and meets residents’ domestic hot water needs.
Learn more about this group at bpa.gov.
———
Grid Connectivity Working Group
Geoff Wickes, Senior Product Manager at Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) has been facilitating the Grid connectivity and controls Working Group since 2019.
Q: Can you tell us more about this working group’s focus?
A: This working group is ensuring HPWHs’ capability to react to demand response signals from electricity grid operators that can shift energy use during peak times when the grid is overloaded. This will enable the cost-effective integration of more renewables without impacting the experience of the appliance for the customer.
This group points to an open-source standard (CTA 2045) that supports three key elements of a communication path: 1) physical layer (the plug); 2) communication layer (language and handshaking); and 3) the command layer (commands that Smart Water Heaters respond to and control their operation). This is group is comprised of water heater manufacturers, communication device manufactures, national labs, utilities, standards organizations, and other advocates. The work will build consensus and provide guidance to industry and utilities on how to leverage demand response in cost effective manner with water heaters.
Q: What barriers is the working group striving to overcome?
A: Because a standard didn’t exist, the marketplace provided multiple methods to connect to water heaters. This lack of standardization discouraged utilities from developing large-scale demand response (DR) programs for water heaters. In the past, utilities would roll in with a truck and an electrician would install a command-and-control load switch. We set out to leverage an existing standard developed by the Electric Power Research Institute. This standard will be applied to all HPWHs: unitary, split, and commercial (both central and unitary products). Our effort will help drive the cost down for DR programs and future proof water heaters as a grid asset.
Q: What are some of your plans and recent accomplishments?
A: Water heaters make great thermal batteries, and they are now smart grid devices (SGD), these SGDs need to have cost-effective solutions to connect to grid operators. The CTA 2045 (EcoPort) solution has a modest hardware cost, minimal software impact and very simple to test for the manufacturers. The Universal Connection Module (UCM) can easily be plugged in by the customer and or the installer with no special training required.
We want this technology in place because more renewables are being brought into the grid. SGDs will make the most efficient choices based on the customer preferences and automate them. For example, when we know that home cooling will be needed later in the day, we can pre-heat water early in the day when there is less demand on the grid or more renewables. This will allow HPWHs to use the lowest-cost and cleanest electricity available. While the group has recommendations for unitary water heater, we are now developing connectivity recommendations for the central systems as part of this collaborative effort.
This work is focused on water heating, but similar principals apply to the other technologies. We are plowing first ground with HPWHs that will pave the way for other technologies and appliances such as electric vehicle chargers, pool pumps, inverters, HVAC, batteries, and whole buildings.
Just coming out of the group is a brand and a logo that will help the grid and customers easily identify their best choices for energy utilization in the marketplace. EcoPort (short sounding “e”) will be available in the next couple months and is designed to allow the grid to be more flexible and resilient conditions change over time.
Contact us at info@advancedwaterheatinginitiative.org, If you are interested in being part of an AWHI Working Group.