Bay Area

Rheem makes a 120v-based series of heat pump water heaters now. They were specifically designed for homes with gas water heaters and not enough 240v outlets. I won’t be surprised if/when other manufacturers follow.

If you have an attached garage, you might consider having it installed there to suck up all the summer heat.

If you’re worried about peak electricity usage, you can put your water heater on a timer so it’s only active during the hours you need it. Some water heaters come with this feature built in. Modern water heaters hold heat well, like a battery. So you won’t lose much heat from the water when the power is cut. Technology Connections did a good video on this subject.

Be sure to check for city, state, and federal rebates when replacing your water heater. They can cut costs significantly.

Electric water heaters mean you’re all paying peak electric prices because most cities mandate tankless water heaters. You can thank PG&E for bribing the PUC to force everyone onto time of use rate plans.

Only alternative is to be rich enough to own solar panels and batteries for load shifting.

Make sense.

Seriously gas water heaters‽ What century do you guys live in?

The amendments only apply to appliances that would be newly installed; they require no change-out of already existing appliances.

Well, at least there's that.

Don't know what's up with lemmy.world not showing all the comments, so I hope it's not a big deal that I'm not replying to each comment.

The federal government has a tax credit for 30% of the cost of a heat pump water heater or heat pump A/C. These mostly run on 120v, because 1200W of power consumption yields about the equivalent of a 4000W resistive element heater. The drawback is that in a lot of homes, the 120v powering the gas heater is not a separate circuit. In my mom's house it comes off a wall outlet that also power the kitchen. So if she makes coffee when the water heater is operating it pops the circuit breaker.

Most homes with gas appliances would require new wiring to use electric equivalents. Hiring an electrician for that job can easily top $2000. People on fixed incomes will have a rough time making this change. Those in rural areas are particularly impacted because they typically rely on propane or they're off-grid.

Let folks replace what they already have. Updates should only be required when the property changes hands. Otherwise it creates a lot of resentment and often financial hardship. And the legislation is easy to defeat if you live next to the border. Buy your replacement gas appliance in Nevada or Arizona. This kind of legislation is exactly why people are willing to set aside all the negatives of Trump and vote for him.

So what happens when you guys get blackouts every summer?