This column first appeared, in a slightly different form in Efficiency First California’s blog

For the past several years, some state and local governments have pursued ambitious building decarbonization policies through new laws and ordinances, or through updated building codes. While these policies differ in a variety of ways, one thing that they have in common is that they aggressively promote the use of heat pump water heaters (HPWH) in new and existing buildings. This column is a recounting of my experience in retrofitting my home to accommodate this product and my reflections now that this work has been completed.

People live inside a model reality that is not necessarily built from facts but rather built from the stories they hear and their personal experiences. The reality of an HPWH is no different.

It is built from stories told by friends, neighbors, and trusted advisors:

• Which brands to trust;
• Which contractors are “good guys;”
• Who are the “bad guys;”;
• Why some installations work and why others don’t, and;
• A few evidence-based facts

Notice where the facts land in that list. They’re the smallest part of the analysis, and they arrive last.

Two consumers, one proposal
The power of storytelling explains why two intelligent consumers can examine the same HPWH installation proposal and walk away believing two different things. They are examining the proposal through two separate lenses, influenced by the stories they have been told.

• One sees an opportunity; one sees giving up their gas appliance;
• One sees rebate dollars; one sees inflated pricing;
• One sees low electricity consumption; one sees slow hot water recovery;
• Neither examines the decision with evidence;
• Both begin with a story, and;
• The evidence is organized after the decision has been made.

My first installation, 2018
My own experience started the same way everyone else’s does. With a story.

My predecessor told me that heat pump water heaters simply work, and that I would save money because I lived in Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) territory.

At the time I worked for SMUD managing the residential HPWH incentive program. I was the utility’s “trusted advisor,” which really meant my job was to tell a good enough story to convince ratepayers to install one. So I installed a HPWH in my own home, because I wanted the story I told to be mine.

I installed my first HPWH at a time when a HPWH was unlikely to be found in any wholesale plumbing outlet, building inspectors were novice, and building departments were reluctant to issue a permit.

• I spent over an hour discussing the legality of installing a HPWH with my local building department before they issued a permit;
• My project was red tagged by the building inspector, sight unseen;
• I spent another two hours at the building department explaining why they were wrong, and;
• A final inspection where the same inspector who red tagged my project reluctantly signed off.

The project itself was not without its challenges.

• 11 hours labor;
• Broken galvanized pipe fittings;
• Relocating electrical supply
• Multiple runs to the plumbing supply warehouse;
• Drywall repair, and;
• Dry rot repair

All to install a product I knew nothing about but trusted that it would work based on the story that was told to me.

The HPWH worked fabulously

• It ran in “Heat Pump Only” mode in all months except November through February;
• It never ran out of hot water, and;
• It saved me some money on my utility bills.

I told this story to hundreds of customers who called in, convincing some and creating further skeptics of others.

Where the story cracked, 2022
Like every good story, mine eventually started to crack. Not because anything was wrong with the HPWH, but because new characters entered the plot. In 2022, I had just had my second kid, and my mother-in-law moved in. Five people were now relying on a 50-gallon tank sized for a much smaller house.

• It ran in “Hybrid” mode all year at 140°F
• It frequently ran out of hot water, and;
• It raised my utility bills.

The technology hadn’t failed. My story had simply outlived the conditions that made it true. That’s a distinction consumers almost never draw, and one we ignore at our own expense.

Second installation, 2024
My curiosity about water heating eventually found me a new home at Bradford White Corporation, where I work today. In 2024 I had the chance to field test our AeroTherm G2, which put me right back in the garage sweating through August.

• 12 hours labor;
• New copper pipe fittings;
• Relocating electrical supply
• Multiple runs to the plumbing supply warehouse, and;
• New drywall

This time, I installed an 80-gallon HPWH. Like the first installation, the HPWH worked fabulously!

• It ran in “Hybrid” mode as it was being monitored;
• It never ran out of hot water, and;
• It saved me some money on my utility bills again.

Third installation, 2025
A year later, I did it again. A new 80-gallon HPWH with new bells and whistles to test, supplying hot water through a brand-new plumbing system, including on-demand hot water recirculation.

• Nights and weekends spent under the house plumbing and insulating pipe;
• Too many service valves to count;
• New piping to the HPWH, with unions and other features for servicing.

Same outcome as before, it worked fabulously!

• The hot water delivery was now instant;
• I still haven’t run out of hot water

Why the facts don’t land
Stories like mine are real. Facts are real too, and facts fail all the time.

When I talk to a customer strictly about the technical merits of a heat pump water heater, I think I’m offering information. What the customer often experiences is an attack. Not an attack on their inelegance, but an attack on their identity, which was shaped by the stories they heard long before I showed up. And the math is unavoidable to them. If my evidence is true, their story has to be false. And if their story unravels, what else goes with it?

Selling a Heat Pump Water Heater can be frustrating. You present irrefutable evidence that they work far better than any other water heater on the market, yet consumers still reject the claims. Consumers aren’t rejecting the evidence you present; the evidence is not reaching them. Consumers want to hear a story, something they can relate to.

So I tell my story first, and present my evidence second.

About the Author: Michael Corbett, serves as the Manager of Regulatory Affairs- West for Bradford White Corporation, a leading manufacturer of water heating and space heating products. Based in Northern California, he plays a key role in the company’s Government and Regularory Affairs team, where he supports advocacy efforts, educates stakeholders on industry standards, and helps navigate the complex regulatory landscape across the western United States.