As a by-product of the natural function of the heat pump, hot water can be produced for the domestic hot water load of the household. Using a “desuperheater” addition to the heat pump, you are able to capture the excess heat from the compressor that may otherwise be lost in the cabinet of the heat pump, and pump it straight into your home’s hot water heater. This helps reduce costs of heating the hot water tank, which can directly save you money.
Ground source heat pumps can also be configured with a dedicated hot water coil for on demand water heating. This double walled heat exchanger differs from a desuperheater in that it operates when there is a “call” for heat from in the domestic water tank.
For most residential applications where there is a lower domestic hot water load the desuperheater is the more economical choice.
In applications where there is a significant domestic water heating loads the dedicated hot water coil can be considered.