Hybrid Water Heaters Outperform the Rest While Costing Less

Hybrid water heaters, also known as heat pump water heaters, are among the best-kept secret in home appliances. Though their heat pump technology makes them ultra-efficient, hybrid water heaters are also notable for performing as well or better than standard electric tanks, with a long lifespan and unmatched savings, to boot.

Sound too good to be true? Here’s how it’s possible.

The heat pump in a hybrid water heater works by capturing heat from the surrounding air and transferring it to the tank. This is much more efficient than standard electric water heaters, which work hard to generate their own heat. In fact, hybrid water heaters use just 40% of the electricity consumed by conventional models — a difference you’ll notice on your electric bill.

Efficiency is great, but it wouldn’t mean much without the performance to back it up. This is where hybrid water heaters really deliver, typically even better than standard electric tanks. The average First Hour Rating, a measure of how much hot water a water heater can deliver in an hour from a fully heated tank, is higher for hybrids than for conventional electric models. And the Recovery Rate, or the amount of hot water the water heater is capable of producing in a given period of time, is significantly better for hybrids.