Connected Water Heater Load Shifting And Energy Efficiency Evaluation For The Southeast: Winter Laboratory Assessment, Final Report

The University of Central Florida\u27s FSEC Energy Research Center (FSEC) and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) are conducting laboratory electrical load shifting experiments using the CTA-2045-A standard to demonstrate the viability of grid-connected heat pump water heaters (HPWH), compared to electric resistance water heaters (ERWH), in providing load shifting in the Southeastern United States (U.S.). The investigation applied different CTA-2045 shed and critical peak (CP) control command designs under two different water draw profiles. The highly-controlled laboratory experiments were conducted on four HPWHs and one ERWH from December 2020 through February 2021. The research aimed to evaluate the load shifting potential of grid-connected HPWHs in a high-impact region. A secondary objective was to evaluate energy efficiency implications of HPWHs compared with ERWHs that comprise greater than 73% of water heaters in the Southeastern U.S. (DOE/EIA, 2015)