Prioritizing packaged domestic hot water solutions
Central domestic packaged heat pump hot water (HPWH) systems can significantly reduce energy usage and provide a consistent and reliable source of hot water.
From the street, Bayview Tower in downtown Seattle looks like many other 1970s-era affordable housing apartments found across the U.S. This 13-story, 100-apartment property, run by the Seattle Housing Authority (SHA), provides an affordable senior-housing option to Seattle’s financially at-risk community. But, around the back of the building exists a domestic hot water (DHW) system, which is anything but 1970s. In 2021, one of the first packaged CO2 heat pump water heating (HPWH) systems for domestic water in the country was installed in Bayview Tower. Designed by Ecotope and funded by a collaboration between SHA, Seattle Office of Housing (SOH), and the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), this project serves as a proving ground for a new class of fully packaged domestic HPWH systems. These systems will be an essential technology for building decarbonization and are a technology that can bring energy equity to underserved buildings and communities.
This article details the evolution of the project, the installation and performance of the system, the impact proper systems packaging and factory installation of system components had on the successful installation and operation of the system, and much more. All key stakeholders agreed pre-packaging and testing increased the comfort level with this new concept, thereby making the energy efficiency and decarbonization benefits repeatable.