High level exposure to Formaldehyde is hazardous to human health …PRLog.Org (press release), Romania - Nov 6, 2008Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is of concern to all of us, since we spend a substantial amount of our time indoors, be it at the office, our home or other …
It was good news to learn that Energy Star has finally announced specifications for water heaters. The specification for heat pump water heaters is particularly welcome, since these products have an unusually large savings potential. A heat pump water heater can reduce water-heating energy by half, which translates into over 1,500 kWh per year in many homes. Nearly 40% of American homes use electric water heaters, so the market is huge. This market is unlikely to be tapped soon, however, because there are no significant American manufacturers of heat pump water heaters. This situation is likely to change, since major refrigeration manufacturers—GE, for example—have announced plans to begin production.
Rapid progress? Not really. Japanese manufacturers are already producing half a million heat pump water heaters a year (see “A Cute Water Heater,” p. 12). You can be sure they are looking for export opportunities. Have American manufacturers missed an opportunity and allowed another “Prius” to dominate the market? To be sure, the Japanese ECO-CUTE heat pump water heater has some attractive features. First, it has a remarkably high reported efficiency, with a seasonal coefficient of performance (COP) approaching 3. The few existing U.S. models have achieved only a modest COP 2, so the ECO-CUTE squeezes 50% more hot water out of each kWh consumed. Second, the ECO-CUTE uses CFC-free CO2 as the refrigerant. Thus the ECO-CUTE is doubly green, by combining efficiency and zero CFCs. Is there a downside? You bet; these suckers are expensive, at over $6,000 in Japan.
How do Japanese consumers justify buying a million of these expensive products? The answer is a useful lesson in economics and culture. First, Japanese homes use lots of hot water—more, in fact, than most American homes. Nearly all of it goes to the famous Japanese baths. Second, the ECO-CUTE can also provide hot water to an in-floor heating system, which fits in particularly well with the Japanese lifestyle. Third, the ECO-CUTE is designed to operate only at night and during periods when electricity is cheap. ECO-CUTE owners get a special tariff, which is far below the normally very high residential electricity rate (about 24¢/kWh). Thus the cost savings are substantial. Combine that with a $420 government subsidy to purchasers of ECO-CUTEs, and the payback time drops from centuries to under a decade.
The environment in the United States would appear to be less favorable to sales of the ECO-CUTE. But this could change quickly. For example, modest redesigns might lower the cost without sacrificing all of the efficiency advantage. And one of the new energy bills being contemplated in Congress could easily add a tax credit for heat pump water heaters. Suddenly, there’s another Prius in the basement.
The air quality is fairly good across the nation (right image; EPA AIRNow). California is the only state with mostly unhealthy for sensitive groups air quality. The air quality is a mix of code yellow and code orange conditions in…
High level exposure to Formaldehyde is hazardous to human health …PRLog.Org (press release), Romania - 6 hours agoIndoor Air Quality (IAQ) is of concern to all of us, since we spend a substantial amount of our time indoors, be it at the office, our home or other …
Hourly PM 2.5 AQI values were Good across the majority of country, with Moderate conditions in some of the upper Midwest. There were a few isolated readings of Code Orange (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups) the Pacific Northwest which dissipated as…
Instructional Courses on Energy, IAQ Offered at ASHRAE 09 Conference.HVAC Web Connection (press release), MA - Nov 4, 2008A full slate of ASHRAE instructional courses are available for attendees at the ASHRAE 2009 Winter Conference and the AHR Expo in January. …
Today’s MODIS TERRA RGB image (top, left) clearly shows persisting haze over the great lakes, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Michigan. The HMS map (top, right) shows a smoke plume covering mostly Illinois and Indiana. According to the…
IAQ Radio to Celebrate 100th Show MilestoneMarketWatch - Oct 22, 2008For over two years Hughes and Zlotnik have interviewed top experts in the IAQ, building science and disaster restoration industries. The guest list of IAQ …
The midwest haze identified over the last few days is holding on and not moving quickly. The left panel below shows the PM2.5 levels throughout the middle of the country. On the right, I have posted the November 1 tropospheric…
IAQ Radio to Celebrate 100th Show MilestoneMarketWatch - Oct 22, 2008For over two years Hughes and Zlotnik have interviewed top experts in the IAQ, building science and disaster restoration industries. The guest list of IAQ …