Consumers and the environment could ultimately be the beneficiaries of a high-efficiency CO2 heat pump water heater concept being researched by General Electric and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Through a cooperative research and development agreement, GE and ORNL are designing a prototype residential water heater that will feature an energy factor of greater than 2.0 with a first hour rating of more than 50 gallons. If the design proves to be technically and economically viable, it could ultimately result in a commercial product. This level of performance would exceed Energy Star standards established for water heaters. The key to the design is the benign nature of the refrigerant and the high efficiency potential that can be achieved using CO2, a natural refrigerant with no associated emissions. A previous ORNL-GE collaboration resulted in a hybrid electric water heater for new and existing homes.
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