At Bayview Tower, Ecotope and Bonneville Power Administration Mark A Step Forward in Decarbonizing Buildings

Published by the Urbanist: For tenants of large apartment buildings, the prospect of a new water heating system installation can be cause for alarm. Prolonged utility shutoffs present a real burden for residents, at times even forcing them to relocate during the work period. But at Bayview Tower, a 100 unit affordable senior apartment building operated by the Seattle Housing Authority in Belltown, the upgrade from an old electric boiler to a new ultra-efficient commercial heat pump water heating system was achieved in a single afternoon, with minimal disruption for residents.

In the U.S. alone, water heater energy use is responsible for emitting over 100 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year. The Advanced Water Heating Initiative estimates more than 25 million water heating systems in the U.S. will need to be replaced in the next five years. Converting these systems to more efficient heat pump water heaters offers a major opportunity to reduce emissions.

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