The Great Water Heater Debate: Heat Pump or Solar?
By Peter Yukimura, Board of Directors

If it’s time to replace your home’s water heater, you may want to consider an energy-efficient solar water heater or a heat pump water heater. KIUC offers financial assistance for both. Read on if you’re unsure which one will best suit your needs.

Heat Pump Water Heaters

Heat pump water heaters require space inside your home or garage. They use electricity to move heat from one place to another instead of generating heat directly. Heat pump water heaters have lower up-front costs than solar water heaters. KIUC offers a $500 rebate to replace an existing electric water heater.

Solar Water Heaters

Solar water heaters come in a wide variety of designs. All include a collector and storage tank, and all use the sun's thermal energy to heat water.

Solar water heaters require space on the roof to install solar water heater panels. These cost more up front, but can lead to even more savings on your energy bill. Of course, you need to live in a location that receives adequate sunlight.

KIUC partners with trade allies to install solar water heaters for members who are interested in replacing their existing water heater with a solar water heater. For financing, we offer a zero-interest loan with Gather Federal Credit Union or a $1,500 rebate through one of our trade allies:

• Gather Federal Credit Union gatherfcu.org 808.245.6791 (zero-interest loan only)
• Arroyo's Plumbing and Repair teddyarroyo96766@gmail.com 808.634.5635
• Poncho's Solar Service ponchoss@hawaii.rr.com 808.422.4266
• Sun King Solar frontdesk@sunkinghawaii.biz 808.245.6570

The rebate applies to whole system - panels and tank - solar water heater installations only.

What’s Right for You?

It comes down to what system you have in your home now and what best suits your budget. For more information, call us from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday at 808.246.4300, or send us a message at kiuc.coop/contact-us.

"We are so grateful that KIUC is supporting home electrification through heat pump hot water rebates. Heat pumps are pure magic! I’ll never forget how my heat transfer professor in college prefaced his lecture on heat pumps: “Now that you have learned the three unbreakable laws of thermodynamics, we introduce you to heat pumps, which seemingly break these laws because they produce more energy than they consume. But we promise you this isn’t the case and there can be no such thing as a perpetual motion machine. Heat pumps move free energy through exo or endothermic gases from outside your home to inside your home. It’s like putting $1 into your heat pump and getting $5 to 7 out!”

Thanks to KIUC and federal subsidies we found on rewiringamerica.org, we have our very own magical hot water heat pump in our home. And with our solar system, it’s truly guilt-free hot showers for all. What a lux feeling!

Eva, Princeville resident