Heat Pump Water Heater Week 2026
October 26 – 29, 2026
Join us for virtual and in-person sessions throughout the week, culminating in our main online session on October 29th.
Monday, October 26, 2026
All times are in Pacific Time Zone
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As Central HPWHs become more common, designers, owners and installers must decide whether to construct these systems on site or deliver fully contructed and packaged units. Packaged Central HPWHs offer many potential benefits including reduced installation errors and faster and less disruptive installations. Challenges include larger and less flexible footprints and sometimes higher upfront costs. Join us for a panel where we'll discuss both the benefits and drawbacks of Packaged Central HPWH systems.
Moderated by Noah Gabriel, Project Manager, Building Innovation, New Buildings Institute
Albert Rooks, CEO, Small Planet Supply
Madison Johnson, Data Analyst, Ecotope
Sponsored by:
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Upfront costs for both central and residential HPWHs can be a barrier to adoption. Even if HPWHs promise to save significant energy and money on utility bills, higher upfront costs can put them out of reach for both building and home owners. This panel will discuss innovative HPWH financing options and successful case studies which include leasing, on-bill financing and zero and low interest loans.
Moderated by Dr. Vidhisha Kanna Moopnar, Senior Project Analyst, New Buildings Institute
Machias Schoen, Senior VP, Palmetto
Andy McNamara, Co-founder, Carbon Zero Buildings
Gregg Holladay, Business Development Manager, Bradford White
Kevin Clark, Business Development Manager, Bradford White
Sponsored by:
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Central HPWH technology is changing rapidly. New heat pump, system and storage designs are coming to market every year along with new manufacturers and new products. Join us for a conversation with new manufacturers who are bringing new Central HPWHs to market and learn about the latest in Central HPWH technology with this manufacturer's roundtable.
Moderated by Joe Wachunas, Senior Project Manager, Advanced Water Heating Initiative, New Buildings Institute
Hillary Heyerdahl, Senior Product Manager, Rheem
Edwin Reek, Director, Water Heating Solutions, Daikin Comfort
John Miles, Managing Director at Eco2 Systems LLC
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
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Split HPWHs, where the heat pump and hot water storage tank are separated, are having a moment. Long the leading HPWH form factor in Asia, there have been limited product options available in the US until recently. Now, many new products and designs are coming to market. Join us for an in-person and live streamed overview of split HPWHs where we'll answer your questions on unit types and installations.
Moderated by Joe Wachunas, Senior Project Manager, Advanced Water Heating Initiative, New Buildings Institute and Brian Stewart, Electrify Now
Sponsored by:
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The second part of this live split HPWH training session will feature different manufacturers bringing split HPWHs to market. Hear from manufacturers directly on their products and have your questions answered.
Moderated by Susan Harris, Building Innovation Communications Manager, New Buildings Institute
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120V plug in HPWHs have been on the market since 2023 and data from the TECH program in California show that they reduce installation costs and electrical panel upgrades by around 25%. Next generation 120V HPWHs called "flexible voltage" HPWHs emerged in 2025 and can be pluged into 120V outlets to start and then later wired to run on 240V of electricity. Join us for a session that explores how 120V and flexible voltage HPWHs are doing in making gas to HPWH conversions easier and what's next for this key decarbonization technology.
Moderated by Joe Wachunas, Senior Project Manager, Advanced Water Heating Initiative, New Buildings Institute
Jacob Strader, Senior Program Manager, GE
Emily Kehmeier, Senior Manager, Energy Solutions
Josh Butzbaugh, Senior Research Engineer, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
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Residential HPWH offerings continue to grow. In 2025, five new HPWH manufacturers came to market each one with new innovations and features. Join us for a look at the new HPWH manufacturers and products that have come to market in 2026 with our annual residential HPWH manufacturers roundtable.
Moderated by Noah Gabriel, Project Manager, Building Innovation, New Buildings Institute
Renae’ L. Turnbaugh, LG Director, Heating Sales
Luke Winston-Almanzar, CEO & Co-Founder, Reservoir
Matthew Curro, North American Training Manager Navien, Inc.
Joe Basher, Director of Product Management - Water Heaters, Lennox
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
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In most surveyed markets, DIY installations account for a significant percentage of HPWH installations. Homeowners are likely turning to DIY installations when they have difficulty finding an installer as well as to help save on inflated installation costs in immature markets. This panel will explore whether the large share of DIY installations are good for HPWH adoption, what tools and resources exist for DIYers and what are missing and how the industry can better support those choosing to DIY their HPWH installation.
Moderated by Joe Wachunas, Senior Project Manager, Advanced Water Heating Initiative, New Buildings Institute
Meghan Harwood, Senior Consultant, VEIC
Britt Cutsforth Dawkins, Senior Manager Marketing Strategy, NEEA
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This session explores how heat pump water heater (HPWH) programs are addressing equity in practice, moving beyond incentives to focus on real barriers such as upfront costs, housing constraints, access, and program implementation challenges.
Panelists will discuss successes, challenges, and evolving approaches in equity-focused programs, and what meaningful equity in HPWH deployment looks like in practice and how to achieve it.
Moderated by Dr. Vidhisha Kanna Moopnar, Senior Project Analyst, New Buildings Institute
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Heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) are natural thermal batteries and should be treated as grid resources to maximize their value. In this session, we'll hear from two panelists leading some of the most successful HPWH connectivity programs in the nation. They will discuss ways to optimize off-peak load shifting, keep participants enrolled, and manage n ever-growing fleet of distributed energy resources.
Moderated by Noah Gabriel, Project Manager, Building Innovation, New Buildings Institute
Amélie Besson, Senior Program Manager, Association for Energy Affordability, Inc.
Heat Pump Water Heater Day!
Thursday, October 29, 2026
9:00am — Welcome & Keynote Address
Joe Wachunas, Senior Project Manager, Advanced Water Heating Initiative, New Buildings Institute
Nora Wang-Esram, CEO,
New Buildings Institute
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Bill McKibben is a contributing writer to The New Yorker, and a founder of Third Act, which organizes people over the age of 60 to work on climate and racial justice. He founded the first global grassroots climate campaign, 350.org, and serves as the Schumann Distinguished Professor in Residence at Middlebury College in Vermont. In 2014 he was awarded the Right Livelihood Prize, sometimes called the ‘alternative Nobel,’ in the Swedish Parliament. He's also won the Gandhi Peace Award, and honorary degrees from 19 colleges and universities. He has written more than twenty books about the environment, including his first, The End of Nature, published in 1989, The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon: A Graying American Looks Back at his Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened, and his latest book is Here Comes The Sun.
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Policy is one key leg of HPWH market transformation. This year's opening plenary will explore how policies are driving HPWH adoption through appliance standards, air quality districts and building codes and what victories and headwinds these policies have faced over the past year.
Moderated by Alexi Miller, Director of Building Innovation, New Buildings Institute
Joanna Mauer, Deputy Director, Appliance Standards Awareness Project
Tristan Grant, Director, Codes and Policy, New Buildings Institute
Jed Holtzman, Senior Associate, Carbon-Free Buildings, RMI
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Commercial Kitchens are a key use case for HPWHs. During this session, we will highlight recent innovations and cutting-edge research on HPWHs in commercial kitchens. We'll hear directly from manufacturers developing central HPWH systems tailored for the food service industry. Join us to learn how the next generation of water heating technology is being adapted to meet the rigorous demands of restaurants.
Moderated by Noah Gabriel, Project Manager, Building Innovation, New Buildings Institute
Ken Eggleston, VP Sales, Mestek - Transom Heat Pumps
Amin Delagh, Principal Engineer, TRC Companies, Inc.
Sponsored by:
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Retail stores are key market actors for HPWH adoption. Join us for a session where we'll chat with major retailers on what's working and how to make it easier for consumers to purchase HPWHs, receive instant incentives as well as how to get more HPWHs on the floor of major retailers.
Moderated by Dr. Vidhisha Kanna Moopnar, Senior Project Analyst, New Buildings Institute
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Installers are key to the success of HPWHs' market transformation. This session, back by popular demand, will let these heroes put their feet up for a minute and chat their successes and challenges with HPWH adoption. Join us for a lunch hour hangout with leading HPWH installers as we discuss challenging installations and profile successful HPWH installer business models that are transforming the market toward efficient water heating.
Moderated by Joe Wachunas, Senior Project Manager, Advanced Water Heating Initiative, New Buildings Institute
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The Excellence in Water Heating Awards will recognize residential and commercial water heating leaders nationally. Our hosts will present recognition in five categories based on recommendations from an expert panel of judges. Join us for a fun, celebratory moment to honor individuals and organizations leading the way towards advanced water heating.
Moderated by Susan Harris, Building Innovation Communications Manager, New Buildings Institute
Organize your own HPWH Week-Related Event
Heat Pump Water Heater Week presents a powerful opportunity to come together—virtually and in person—to raise awareness about HPWHs.
The AWHI team can support you in creating and promoting your own HPWH-focused event. Here are two options:
Sponsored Live Events
With sponsorship, AWHI can help organize site tours, live panel sessions, and/or HPWH trainings across the U.S.
Sponsor or help secure sponsorship to coordinate your HPWH awareness event during the week with maximum national visibility.
Grassroot Organized Events
Host your own in-person or virtual event, from educational talks to local meetups.
We will help promote your event to AWHI’s national audience and partner network. Win-win!Call for Sponsors
Every year amazing organizations help us put on HPWH Week and benefit from the visibility of sponsoring and supporting the national event focused on heat pump water heaters. Check out this year’s sponsorship levels and benefits—and THANK YOU to our sponsors for making this righteous event possible.