Our new Tip 424, Heat Pump Water Heating for Commercial and Multifamily Buildings, has been posted on the SDCI Tips page. For permit applications filed beginning January 1, 2022, central domestic water heating systems in hotel and multifamily buildings must utilize heat pumps, rather than conventional gas or electric resistance systems. (In December, City Council will consider extending this requirement to include other commercial buildings with substantial water heating loads. That requirement, if approved, would take effect later in 2022.)
Conventional water heating systems in hotel and multifamily buildings are responsible for a large proportion of Seattle’s energy use and carbon emissions, while heat pump technology has emerged as a viable alternative. These rules take a necessary step towards Seattle’s goals of carbon neutrality, forcefully restated in Glasgow earlier this month by Mayor Durkan.
The new Tip covers the scope of the heat pump water heater provisions, the permits required, how to size the heat pump system and its storage tanks, insulation requirements for pipes and tanks, and more.
Seattle SDCI Tip #424 – Heat Pump Water Heating for Commercial and Multifamily Buildings
Eight additional Tips on energy code topics have also been revised to incorporate 2018 code changes. In particular, the last two on this list, Tips 422 and 423, have been extensively revised to reflect new code requirements.
- 322 Spray-Applied Foam Insulation
- 403 NFRC Labeling Requirements, 2018 Seattle Energy Code
- 419 Commissioning Requirements in the Seattle Energy Code “Commercial Building” Provisions
- 420 Solar Energy Systems
- 421 Controlled Receptacles
- 422 Renewable Energy and Solar-Ready Roofs for Commercial Buildings
- 423 Energy Compliance Through the Target Performance or Total Building Performance Paths