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Oct 22, 2024

This supersmart home tech could save you nearly $7,000 — and the government will give you up to $2k to buy one

Looking to upgrade your water heater to something greener, but worried about the cost? Now is actually a great time as the Inflation Reduction Act's tax incentives go live, and on top of that money

Looking to upgrade your water heater to something greener, but worried about the cost? Now is actually a great time as the Inflation Reduction Act's tax incentives go live, and on top of that money back, smart heat pump water heaters can actually save a ton of money every month on energy bills.

A smart water heater uses predictive technology to anticipate the times when the energy required to heat your water is the cheapest and the cleanest from your electricity provider, and thus it runs more at those times. That way, you have hot water whenever you need it, but it's provided in the cheapest and most efficient fashion possible.

On top of that, heat pump technology — which can be found in ductless AC/heater combo units as well — draws the heat from the surrounding air. With heat pump water heaters, that heat is used to quickly and efficiently heat the water you need. By using this green technology, less effort and less energy is required to get you the hot water you need on a daily basis.

Some models can even link with solar panels as well, further allowing you to use the cleanest energy possible, but solar certainly isn't necessary to run a heat pump or heat pump water heater.

Smart models also monitor when you use your hot water, making sure it has what you need, available when you need it. If you're a person who loves a hot shower when you wake up, a smart water heater can slowly heat the water overnight to get you what you need in the most energy-efficient and cost-saving way possible.

The more energy it takes to heat your water, the more money it costs you. And the more energy you use in heating your water, especially at peak times, the more reliant you are on potentially dirty energy sources to draw electricity, like coal or natural gas.

Cala, the creators of what the brand calls the world's first "intelligent" heat pump water heater, offers one of the best options in the space since it has that ability to draw electricity when it's cheapest and cleanest.

Basically, part of what you're buying is the work of scientists who engineered a device to save as much energy and money as possible. Even factoring in the cost of the new unit and its installation, the company says it will save homeowners between $2,000 and nearly $7,000 over a Cala unit's lifetime, depending on what's being replaced. Replacing an oil- or propane-based unit, for example, projects to provide the most savings.

Cala's smart tech helps you to ensure that the energy you're using costs as little as possible, is used as efficiently as possible, and is as clean as it possibly can be.

According to Cala's calculations, its smart technology saves you $2,132 over the lifetime of the water heater versus a natural gas water heater, $5,138 over an electric resistance water heater, and $6,891 over a gas or propane water heater — including all upfront costs, incentives, and energy bill savings factored together.

As part of that, the Inflation Reduction Act can help you get federal and local tax incentives to get up to $2,000 toward the purchase and installation of your new water heater, which Cala and most licensed installers can help with arranging.

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