Rheem Heat Pump Water Heater Makes Its Pacific Northwest Debut in Portland, Ore.

More than 125 plumbing contractors recently braved chilly early-morning temperatures for an in-depth briefing on the new Rheem HP-50 Heat Pump Water Heater at the World Trade Center in downtown Portland. Held on the WTC Plaza, the three-hour outdoor workshop was part of a daylong ‘Pacific Northwest HP-50 Launch Event” on October 28, held for the plumbing trade, regional electric utilities, energy-efficiency organizations and local media.

The WTC is headquarters for Portland General Electric (PGE), an electric utility that has served northwest Oregon since 1889. PGE co-hosted the launch event with Rheem Water Heating, which recently became the first manufacturer to announce delivery of a fully integrated, high-efficiency, air-source heat pump water heater to both the plumbing wholesale and the utility channels. Originally unveiled in mid-September, the new air-source HP-50 Heat Pump Water Heater offers an Energy Factor (EF) of 2.0, or more than twice the efficiency of a standard electric storage water heater.

Helping to organize the event and recruit attendees were Rheem’s local sales agent Alliance Sales Co. Several local Rheem distributors also assisted, including George Morlan Plumbing Supply, Keller Supply, MAR-HY Distributors, and Standard Supply.