CHPWH Project Update

Field Testing Load Shifting Pilot for Commercial Water Heating

At the June AWHI Commercial Working Group meeting, Engineering firm Ecotope reported on the first load shifting pilot study in the country which is being conducted at the Bayview Tower Apartments in Seattle, Washington with the support of the Bonneville Power Administration. The field study is still under way, but the first three months of data look promising.

Photo: Skid mounted Mitsubishi central heat pump water heater system at Bayview Towers.

Ecotope reported on the first three months of data from Bayview Tower Apartments in Seattle and the early results look promising. The project team has configured a process where the water heaters “shed” or don’t use electric power during peak times from 6:00-9:00 am and 6:00-9:00 pm. Over 95% of days they haven’t needed to use any energy during peak times. They also haven’t had any complaints from residents as there has been no loss of hot water supply.

This chart shows the potential for demand response in heat pump water heaters. The blue bar shows energy usage by electric resistance water heaters during peak demand, the red bar shows energy usage by central heat pump water heaters and the green bar shows energy usage by central systems with demand response. Image courtesy of Ecotope.

This study will continue to examine optimization of the load shift controls including timing of load-up signals and use of varying storage setpoints. The current phase of the study will be finished this fall and the results could be truly groundbreaking, indicating a pathway to optimal load shifting potential for central heat pump water heaters.

Watch the presentation from the commercial working group meeting, the meeting recording is available here and the demand response presentation starts at the 1 hour 06 minute mark.

Take a virtual interactive tour of Bayview Tower.

Please contact Keshmira McVey, AWHI Commercial HPWH lead, if you are interested in learning more about CHPWH activities and if you would like to discuss partnership opportunities.