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The NW Ductless Heat Pump Project and Hot Water Solutions have been hard at work in 2017. Read on to learn more about progress and what's coming next for ductless heat pumps and heat pump water heaters.
Go to NW Ductless Heat Pump Project Updates
Go to Hot Water Solutions Updates |
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Q2 UTILITY UPDATE WEBINAR
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Join Hot Water Solutions and the NW Ductless Heat Pump Project on Thursday, June 29 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. to cover developments through Q2 2017, what's next for program and marketing activities, and how your utility can leverage market promotions.
- Hot Water Solutions: 1:00 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.
- NW Ductless Heat Pump Project: 1:45 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
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NORTHWEST MARKET HIGHLIGHTS
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The Northwest ductless market has been busy in Q2! Ductless system market infrastructure continues to grow:
- Daikin opened a new U. S. manufacturing facility in Texas
- The Daikin Texas Technology Park (DTTP) consolidates many of the company's HVAC, manufacturing and logistic facilities into one place
- Ductless heat pumps will be part of the DTTP product line
- It is reportedly the largest facility investment Daikin has made in its 90-year history, read more here
- Two new distributors began carrying ductless equipment
- Platt Electric offers Panasonic
- Pacific Plumbing offers LG
- Four new ductless training centers
- Pacific Plumbing opened three LG training centers in the Puget Sound region
- Blacks Wholesale opened a Daikin training center in Spokane
- Fujitsu, LG and Mitsubishi now host a rebate center on their websites to offer customers a one-stop-shop experience
Read on to learn more about promotional offerings and 2017 activities.
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MEET THE MANUFACTURER: FUJITSU
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As a reminder, the Project will host a
'Meet the Manufacturer' webinar with Fujitsu on Friday, June 16 from 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Fujitsu's Northwest manager will present on their products and 2017 ductless priorities, followed by Q & A. Please join us!
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We've heard from several utility partners that increasing ductless system costs in the face of decreasing savings present a problem for their rebate programs. The Project dug into available rebate data to investigate how costs have been increasing. Highlights include:
- Single-head system costs have actually decreased, while multi-headed system costs have increased
- An increasing percentage of utility rebates are going to multi-head systems
- 9,000-20,000 Btu 1:1 system costs are going down over time while >20,000 Btu systems remained steady or increased in cost
The team presented these and additional findings to the Residential Advisory Committee in April and the DHP workgroup in May, along with recommendations for action. Join us at the Q2 Utility Update Webinar to learn more.
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NORTHWEST DUCTLESS PROMOTIONS
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Consumers can save on ductless systems with as many as
four
manufacturer promotions this year. The Project awarded marketing support to three of the six manufacturers' proposals submitted in Q1, plus Daikin offered a promotion on their own. We will communicate specifics as they are confirmed; see the updated promotion calendar here
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Right now, customers can save on Daikin ductless equipment for residential replacement installations:
- Up to $225 - $450 in savings on eligible models
- Systems must be installed by participating Daikin dealers (installers)
- Equipment must be purchased and installed by June 30, 2017
- Claims must be submitted by July 15, 2017
Turn-key resources to promote this opportunity to your customers are available
here
. These resources now include brand-neutral options that point to GoingDuctless.com's
promotions page
for utilities who cannot endorse a specific product brand.
See Full Promotion Details
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HOMEOWNER MAINTENANCE GUIDE UPDATES
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In response to utility and market partner feedback, the Project updated the homeowner guide to include new content, including:
- A quick reference list of homeowner maintenance actions to extend the life of their system
- Features to look for when purchasing a professional maintenance package
- Guidance on when to use secondary heating and cooling systems
- Recommendations for usage during extreme cold weather
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NORTHWEST MARKET HIGHLIGHTS
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Hot Water Solutions and our partners continue to increase heat pump water heater (HPWH) sales throughout the region. A quick snapshot of highlights from 2017 so far includes:
- 3,351 sales from January - April 2017, a 36% increase over the same period last year
- 81 utilities offering HPWH rebates as of May 2017, a 13% increase over the same period last year
- Seven manufacturer-led trainings delivered to 73 installers in partnership with Hot Water Solutions and utilities
We'll continue to drive success through promotions, training, manufacturer engagement, and marketing activities. Read on to learn more!
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Tier 3 product offerings have never been more widely available to consumers. Markdowns are currently available on A. O. Smith, Rheem and Sanden products through 2017 or while funds last:
- Up to $200 on Tier 3 small tank HPWHs
- Up to $300 on Tier 3 large tank HPWHs
- Available at a wide array of retailers and distributors
An updated promotion calendar is available
here. Visit the Hot Water Solutions
promotions page for participating retail and distributor locations, and marketing resources. Take this opportunity to let your customers know about their options!
Pricing and participation may vary by location, check with your local retailer or distributor before advertising to consumers.
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SANDEN SPLIT SYSTEM QPL LISTING
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NEEA confirmed Sanden's SANCO2 HPWH to the Advanced Water Heater Specification Qualified Products List on March 10, 2017, making it the first outdoor compressor, CO2 refrigerant HPWH eligible for a regional markdown through Hot Water Solutions. Installers can now save up to $300 on these units at Johnstone Supply and Small Planet in the Puget Sound region.
While the SANCO2 is currently a Tier 3 unit, Sanden is working to add demand response controls so it qualifies for Tier 4. It is more than 4x efficient as a standard electric water heater.
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NEW AND IMPROVED TRAINING RESOURCES
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Installers play a crucial role increasing HPWH sales in an emergency replacement scenario. Hot Water Solutions is developing a robust suite of training materials to increase installer HPWH awareness, confidence, and bolster sales prowess. Training topics include:
- Identifying potential customers and addressing barriers
- Articulating benefits and selling the value of a HPWH
- Dispelling common product misperceptions and providing installation best practices
Future HPWH training delivery will include:
- Installer webinars
- In-person events featuring manufacturer training and program orientation
- Retail sales associate field visits
Expect to see new sales training content and updated orientation training in action this summer. Updated training materials will be available once complete, as well as event schedules as they are developed to facilitate utility participation.
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Hot Water Solutions issued a request for information (RFI) in March, asking manufacturers to describe their sales, marketing, inventory, and training (SMIT) plans for the wholesale supply channel. A. O. Smith, Bradford White, Rheem, and their respective manufacturer rep agencies presented SMIT plans to Hot Water Solutions in a series of meetings in May. The meetings provided insight on:
- Wholesale channel sales goals for the Northwest
- Manufacturers' authorized distributor partners
- Marketing strategies, including product messaging and materials
- Training strategies for distributors and installers
- Opportunities to collaborate with Hot Water Solutions and utility stakeholders to engage the market
In order to meet our goals, Hot Water Solutions will do the following:
- Engage distributors to encourage increased sales of qualified HPWHs
- Provide participating distributors an administration fee of $40 per qualified unit
- Engage distributors at the branch level to share information about incentive programs and organize trainings for installers and sales associates
- Invite utility stakeholders to branch meetings in your service territories
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COORDINATING WITH MIDSTREAM PROGRAMS
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Hot Water Solutions would like to collaborate with stakeholders currently offering or considering midstream programs for heat pump water heaters to align messaging and schedule meetings with distributors.
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HPWHs FEATURED IN CONTRACTOR MAGAZINE
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Hot Water Solutions authored an installer-focused article for the June issue of Contractor magazine. The article, titled "Five Common Myths and Tips When Selling Heat Pump Water Heaters" dispels five common myths about selling and installing HPWHs, and provides crucial information every installer should know, including why they make sense for emergency replacements.
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Hot Water Solutions developed a customizable print ad touting utility rebates and manufacturer promotions for utilities that place content in Ruralite magazine. The ad is a great opportunity to drive greater participation in your HPWH program among your electric customers. If you have upcoming ad space in Ruralite, and would like to have Hot Water Solutions customize the ad for you, please send the following to nshaddy@cplusc.com:
- Your utility logo (.eps, .tiff or high-res .jpg file preferable)
- Utility or rebate-specific URL and phone number
- Rebate details, including qualifications, eligible products and rebates
Please allow 2-3 weeks for ad customization and review prior to your insertion deadline.
Request a Custom Ruralite Ad
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Hot Water Solutions and the NW Ductless Heat Pump Project are programs of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA). NEEA is an alliance of more than 140 Northwest utilities and energy efficiency organizations working to accelerate the innovation and adoption of energy-efficient products, services and practices in the Northwest.
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