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Every heating appliance in the US features an "Energy Guide" label stating "typical" usage. In my case, the Heat Pump Water Heater states an estimated yearly energy use of 837kWh.

What are the assumptions for such typical usage? This must be defined somewhere but for my life of it, I can't find it.

For example, the "typical usage" must make assumptions such as:

  1. How many people live in the household?
  2. How many showers are taken per day on average? How often is the dishwasher or laundry run?
  3. How many days a year nobody is present? (e.g., family vacation)
  4. In more technical terms, what is the assumed flow rate of the shower, how many minutes, distributed how during the way are showers taken?
  5. Which mode is assumed (Energy Saver)? What is the water temperature setting, what is assumed for the mixing valve?
  6. What is the assumed ambient temperature over the year?
divB
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1 Answers1

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What are the assumptions for such typical usage? This must be defined somewhere but for my life of it, I can't find it.

That is because the info is useless to you and to anybody not doing controlled testing.

The purpose of the Energy Guide label is for comparison shopping. It is not meant to ensure you that the product is working to a certain energy standard. The variables are far too many.

RMDman
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