When Cliff's water heater died right before Christmas, we helped him make the switch to a clean heat pump water heater by adding a shed to his house.
🎄Picture this: Your water heater dies just two days before Christmas.
You knew it was coming. The water heater was 16 years old—way past its expiration—but you put off doing anything about it.
Boy, are you regretting that now.
This recently happened to Cliff, a homeowner in Oakland.
Repair for such an old appliance was not an option.
And a new tankless gas water heat would cost Cliff around $5k. Yikes!
Cliff wanted to go electric and upgrade to a modern heat pump water heater.
The problem was that he didn't have a garage or basement, which is where heat pump water heaters are typically installed. Before he found QuitCarbon, several contractors told him it couldn't be done!
💡Why electric?
First, because electric heat pump water heaters are way more energy-efficient (3x-5x more efficient!) and therefore cheaper to run.
Second, because it’s the 21st century! Why burn tons of polluting gas to heat your water when we have better, clean options?
But aren’t efficient electric appliances more expensive?
💰One word: Rebates! Cha-ching.
As Cliff discovered, California’s TECH Clean program combined with rebates through the Inflation Reduction Act cut the out-of-pocket cost of a new electric heat pump water heater by almost 80%—to just $1,700.
A much better, cleaner appliance for 1/3 the cost of an outdated gas water heater? What a deal!
🤓 Let’s run the numbers:
Note: Cliff elected to have his heat pump installed outside in a shed, which added $2,500 to his total. This is still cheaper than simply replacing his gas water heater.
That’s when Cliff got in contact with QuitCarbon.
🏡 Every home is unique and so every upgrade plan is unique.
We create a free, detailed Upgrade Plan for every home — think of it as a roadmap with a to-do list. This plan makes recommendations for each homeowner based on the type of house, its square footage, and its current appliances.
Here’s an example of how QuitCarbon maps out a home’s energy usage:
🗺️ From this roadmap, we can estimate Cliff’s cost savings by electrifying his home, and make recommendations for all energy-efficient upgrades:
- heating and cooling
- hot water
- windows and insulation
- cooking appliances
- solar panels and EV charging
- electrical system
Included with the plan are all the up-front cost estimates and available rebates for each type of upgrade project.
✅ Problem Solved!
One of our Home Planners worked with Cliff to find the right solution for his home. With no garage or basement, our team recommended building a shed outside the home where the heat pump could be installed. Problem solved!
And from our network of vetted contractors, we found the perfect company to do Cliff’s installation and got them on the job promptly.
Needless to say, Cliff is ecstatic:
Installing a new, energy-efficient heat pump water heater is just the first step in Cliff’s home upgrade plan.
🦸🏻♂️ Just look at this happy guy! Mission accomplished.
