That’s easy: Buy a heat pump water heater. Why? Because it will immediately reduce your utility bills as well as pollution from your house. And local rebates plus generous federal tax credits will offset the somewhat higher costs of a heat pump water heater (HPWH).

Water heaters only last 10-25 years. To replace them, most people just buy another gas water heater. They are inexpensive, widely available and more efficient than previously.

SO HOW IS A HPWH BETTER THAN ANOTHER GAS ONE?

It’s cleaner. Natural gas is a fossil fuel and produces pollution when burned. According to the EPA, every time your gas water heater fires up, it produces nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2) methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), trace amounts of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and particulate matter (PM).

Everyone else’s gas water heater is polluting just like yours is, so the total pollution from heating water with gas is significant.

Maybe you thought you couldn’t do anything about pollution and climate change, but this is something you can do.

And you will save money doing it, because a HPWH will cut your expenses for water heating in half.

Consumer Reports claims that “The cost of heating water consumes almost 20 percent of your household budget, second only to what you spend on heating and cooling your home.”

Clean Technica claims that a HPWH “will save as much as 7 solar panels for a literal fraction of the cost” (of solar panels).

And besides that, Attainable Home claims that a HPWH will last roughly “five years longer than a standard gas or electric water heater.”

Check what your monthly gas bill is in the summer when your gas furnace is not operating. If you have an electric stove and clothes dryer, your gas bill is probably just from heating water.

Our household consists of just two senior citizens and a grandson. We have an electric stove and clothes dryer with heat pumps to heat and cool our house, so the water heater is our only gas appliance. We all take short showers and wash our clothes in cold water, so we use less gas for water heating than the average family does. But our natural gas bill is $17 a month or $204 per year. So a HPWH would save us $102 annually.

HOW MUCH DO HPWHS COST?

Forbes notes that “a standard 50-gallon hot water heater can cost anywhere from $500 to $1,000 (not including installation) while a HPWH can cost between $1,500 and $3,000.”

That extra cost can be offset by the federal tax credit of 30% of the cost of a HPWH, up to $2,000, thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act.

And rebates may be available from your local electric company. For Provo Power customers, the rebate is $500 for replacing a gas water heater with any electric one. For Rocky Mountain Power customers, the rebate is $350 for replacing a gas water heater with an electric one.

But aren’t tankless water heaters more efficient than standard gas heaters that store hot water in a big tank? Yes, but according to Attainable Home, “On average, heat pump water heaters are much more efficient than tankless heaters.”

Do you have to have a 220-volt line for a HPWH? No, you can find good ones that run on 110 volts.

Do HPWPs have any disadvantages besides the higher purchase price? They require more space than tankless water heaters and should not be located in tiny closets because they need heat from ambient air to warm the water. The good news is that they cool the air in that area, which may be an advantage in warm weather.

And if your family members often draw more than a whole tank full of hot water, you may want a slightly larger model than what you have had in the past, because HPWHs reheat more slowly than standard gas water heaters. Fortunately, various sizes are available.

A third consideration is noise. Some HPWHs are a bit noisy, but you can easily find good ones that make no more noise than a microwave oven.

So, with all the rebates and tax credits available to reduce up-front costs, the long-term efficiency, and the elimination of all local pollution and green-house gas emissions, consider a heat pump water heater to replace your gas water heater when it quits. Or before.

And instead of just wringing your hands at the next report of wildfires, record heat domes, droughts, floods, hurricanes or reduced snowpack, you will know that you have done a little something for your family and the rest of the world.

And a little something is better than a big nothing.

Don Jarvis is a retired BYU professor and environmental volunteer who lives in Provo.

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