Regional analysis of residential water heating options: energy use and economics

Technical Report · Sun Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1978

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6553567· OSTI ID:6553567

O'Neal, D.; Carney, J.; Hirst, E.

This report evaluates the energy and direct economic effects of introducing improved electric-water-heating systems to the residential market. These systems are: electric heat pumps offered in 1981, solar systems offered in 1977, and solar systems offered in 1977 with a Federal tax credit in effect from 1977 through 1984. The ORNL residential energy model is used to calculate energy savings by type of fuel for each system in each of the ten Federal regions and for the nation as a whole for each year between 1977 and 2000. Changes in annual fuel bills and capital costs for water heaters are also computed at the same level of detail. Model results suggest that heat-pump water heaters are likely to offer much larger energy and economic benefits than will solar systems, even with tax credits. This is because heat pumps provide about the same savings in electricity for water heating (about half) at a much lower capital cost ($700 to $2000) than do solar systems. However, these results are based on highly uncertain estimates of future performance and cost characteristics for both heat pump and solar systems. The cumulative national energy saving by the year 2000 due to commercialization of heat-pump water heaters in 1981 is estimated to be 1.5 QBtu. Solar-energy benefits are about half this much without tax credits and two-thirds as much with tax credits. The net economic benefit to households of heat-pump water heaters (present worth of fuel bill reductions less the present worth of extra costs for more-efficient systems) is estimated to be $640 million. Again, the solar benefits are much less.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 6553567
• Report Number(s): ORNL/CON-31
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290100 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Energy Analysis & Modeling
291000* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Conservation
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320101 -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Residential Buildings-- (-1987)
APPLIANCES
COMMERCIALIZATION
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS
ECONOMICS
ELECTRIC APPLIANCES
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
ENERGY MODELS
EVALUATION
FINANCIAL INCENTIVES
HEAT EXCHANGERS
HEAT PUMPS
HEATERS
HEATING
HOT WATER
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
NORTH AMERICA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PERFORMANCE
REGIONAL ANALYSIS
RESIDENTIAL SECTOR
SOLAR WATER HEATERS
USA
WATER
WATER HEATERS