AESC

Overview

AESC is installing Heat Pump Water Heaters (HPWH) in a manufactured homess in Winston, CA, a California EnviroScreen designated Disadvantaged Community AESC will measure whether the HPWH’s cool exhaust air can lower existing air conditioning cost and improve resident comfort, and will quantify the energy, cost, and GHG impacts of the retrofits.

Market Barrier

The growing affordable manufactured and mobile home market presents a compelling case for using HPWH to replace electric, natural gas and propane hot water heaters in both retrofits and new construction.  However, these opportunities are hampered by a lack of field data on installation costs (including potential ducting and electrical upgrade work) and potential ancillary benefits (such as removing heat and humidity from the home with the cool air produced by HPWH operation).

Proposed Solution

AESC will replace existing gas water heaters with HPWH in ten manufactured homes in Winton, CA, a Cal Enviro Screen-designated disadvantaged community, at no cost to the participants.  AESC will model and measure the interactive energy impacts HPWH on existing air conditioning loads, with the expectation that the cool air that is a byproduct of HPWH operation will reduce the residents’ cooling needs and costs.  AESC will also quantify the energy, cost, and GHG impacts of the retrofits, as well as customer satisfaction with the new HPWH, all while ensuring utility cost neutrality or cost savings for the participants.

Theory of Change

Modeling and measuring energy savings in the manufactured and mobile home market can help the cost justification of retrofits, and potentially justify additional utility incentives to aid in market scalability.  Learnings from this pilot may inform ongoing California Public Utility Commission proceedings related to the Mobile Home Park Utility Upgrade Program.

Housing Type:

Manufactured housing

Technology:

HPWH

Location:

High poverty area in PG&E and SCE territories