2022 Quick Start Grant Recipients
RHA
Heat Pump Water Heater Best Practices and Field Guide
Research Questions
- How do we ensure quality, replicable HPWH retrofits across California through dissemination of knowledge?
- How do we ensure that trained contractors have access to just-in-time knowledge about installation methods as they work?
Value for the TECH Incentive Program
This pilot will consolidate the base of contractors available for state-of-the-art heat pump water heater installations by ensuring contractors maintain their adoption of a new professional practice.
Overview
RHA will assemble a large and diverse team of stakeholders from an existing network of AWHI members to create an open source HPWH retrofit installation best practices and visual field guide to be piloted with a small group of contractors.
Market Barrier
Although HPWHs are widely commercially available, they are not widely installed. While the number of training available has significantly increased they are inconsistent and are not sufficient for contractors to feel fully confident about a new technology to maintain its adoption after their first heat pump installation.
Proposed Solution
Create agreed-upon best practice and field guide documents as a basis for sound training and to provide just in time learning when in the field installing a technology that would be new to them.
Theory of Change
The industry lacks a standard set of best practices to guide quality outcomes, and installers lack a clear, step-by-step visual guide to use in the field. Without these, available training and resources are inconsistent or inaccurate, and installers do not have proper knowledge of the technology and are impeded by perceived risks associated with using this product in retrofits. Providing an visually-based field resource will also contribute to maintaining adoption of a new technology by contractors.
Housing Type:
Residential
Technology:
HPWH
Location:
The field guide will be piloted with a small group of contractors in SCE service territory, with a focus on contractors who are serving households who benefit from California Energy Savings Assistance program.