"A direct-vent natural gas-fired water heater is probably the simplest, most reliable appliance you could own. It requires no electricity." I won't address the legality issue, but: First, I'm not sure about the no electricity; if the heater has a pilot light, then I suppose no, but otherwise it requires electricity at least for the igniter.

Second, you're missing another reason for getting a heat pump water heater. We just last week replaced our 13 year old (and therefore on its end of life) gas heater with a heat pump water heater. It requires no gas :). One reason for doing that is that using electricity to run a small heat pump is far cheaper where we live than gas. (We have solar panels, which makes it still cheaper--in fact, free.)

The only things remaining in our house that use gas are the stove and a gas log fireplace. We've used the latter twice during the 13 years we've lived in the house. If we replace the stove (which we'll need to do some day, it's almost 25 years old) with an electric one, then I'd be easily persuaded to turn off the gas fireplace, and end the delivery charge on gas.

As an electric appliance owner, I'll take that chance.

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bradlys 3 days ago | parent | next [-]

With electricity hitting rates around $0.70/kwh with PG&E - gas isn’t usually a more expensive way to heat water.

PG&E in CA is criminally expensive. If you’re lucky to be in one of the cities in the bay that isn’t on it, you get incredibly cheap energy in comparison.

There are plenty of water heaters that use a pilot light. I’ve been in many homes where they all use pilot light based gas water heaters.

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mcswell 2 days ago | parent [-]

Wow, that is expensive electricity. Ours (Maryland) is around 12 cents/kwh. As I say, we have solar panels, so we have not paid anything for electricity for the last five years, except for a $6/month connection charge (I think that's going up to $10/month). So far we've gotten back a $couple hundred at the end of each year because our net usage is negative.

	▲	bradlys a day ago \| parent [-]
		You can’t even get money back from PG&E. At most, they’ll neutralize your bill every month to near zero. Any excess you create is typically not credited or rolled over. They really discourage solar in a variety of other ways as well.

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thehappypm 4 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I had a hybrid electric heat pump water heater, and I didn’t like that it made my house cold in the winter. In winter I’d switch to purely resistive mode. Later on, I moved into a house with a gas water heater and at least for me the gas operating cost is lower.

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viraptor 3 days ago | parent [-]

What do you mean it made your house cold? Did you place it inside the house?

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thehappypm 3 days ago | parent [-]

Yes, everyone has it in their house in cold climates you’d be crazy to have it somewhere not climate controlled

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viraptor 3 days ago | parent [-]

Ok. I was confused because mine's in a service room, attached to the house and enclosed, but now open to the house air.

	▲	sidewndr46 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		That is in fact, inside the house

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seanmcdirmid 3 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Is the water heater just in time? I’m guessing not because the heat pump would need some time to startup? Also is it 120V? I have a gas JIT hot water heater that will need to be replaced in a few years and I’m wondering where the tech is at right now.

	▲	mcswell 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		No, it tries to maintain a full tank of hot water, like other 50 gallon water heaters. I think the just-in-time ones are under your sink. They have their advantages too, I guess. It's 240v, uses a double circuit breaker, so you need to check your circuit breaker panel to make sure you have two places open. Our utility company had a special deal--we paid only $240 for the heater, although installation was around $3k (they brought an electrician to run the wire from the panel).

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paradox460 3 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Generally the electricity for the safety and other minor electrical parts is generated by a thermocouple, and a battery or capacitor provides automatic reignition, with a piezo style BBQ igniter as backup