What is the Differences between Air to Water Heat Pumps and Electric Water Heaters

Air source heat pump water heater is the fourth generation water heater.Air source heat pumps water heater has been more and more poplar, as first choice when people buying water heaters. Same as electric water heaters, air to water heat pump needs to consume electricity to achieve heating, so what are the specific differences?

Heating Principle:
The heating process of the electric water heater are summarized in two words, that is “electric heating”: in the tank of electric water heater, there are heating elements that can be electrified. Temperature will rise when the heating elements are electrified, and then the cold water around them will be heated, so that the cold water in the water tank can reach the set temperature. Therefore, almost all the energy of the electric water heater comes from the electric heating elements. The produced heat capacity is balanced with the consumed electricity.

Keyword of air source water heater is “heat transfer”. There is a lot of heat in the air. There is a certain amount of refrigerant in the air to water heat pump. The refrigerant can absorb the heat in the air in the evaporator, and then transfer the energy to the water tank of the air source water heater through compressor and other components to generate hot water. Electric energy is only used for driving compressor in this process.

Energy Saving Effect:
In principle, the power consumption of the two types of water heaters is doomed to be very different. The heating efficiency of electric water heater is less than 100%, while that of air source heat pump water heater can reach 400% when the ambient temperature is high enough. Even under 0℃ ambient temperature, the heating efficiency can be 200%, far higher than the heating efficiency of electric water heater. Thus, air source water heater can save more electricity and energy than electric water heater.
Function

Electric water heater was originally designed to provide hot water, it is only for heating water, nothing else. While for air source heat pumps, besides the basic hot water supply, it also achieve home floor heating. The heating of air source heat pump water heater is easy to implement: water heaters provide hot water, with an appropriate house heating end. There are many kinds of heating ways, such as fan coil, floor heating and radiator. Various choices meet the house heating needs of different regions.

Safety:
With the development of electric water heater, the whole workmanship has been relatively mature. Corresponding leakage protection technology is also widely used in products, but it can still be seen in the news that electric water heater shocks often lead to casualties.

Because the heating elements of electric water heater are directly in contact with the water flow, once the equipment is aging or some faults occur, there may be leakage accident.

Generally speaking, electric water heater is cheaper and more widely used, while air source heat pump water heater has better performance, but the price is higher than electric water heater. When choosing a water heater, we should be clear of our own needs and make the right selection.