Electric water heaters are conventionally used in residential and commercial buildings to supply the occupants of the building with a reservoir of hot water. The water heater typically includes a tank that is fluidly coupled to a water supply of the building at an inlet and is fluidly coupled to building fixtures such as faucets, showers, and dishwashers at an outlet. The water heater tank receives cold water from the building water supply at the inlet and heats the water to a set point temperature using lower and upper heating elements. The lower and upper heating elements raise the temperature of the water disposed within the water heater tank to the set point temperature by converting current from a building power supply into radiant heat. The heated water is stored within the tank and is held at the set point temperature by the heating elements so that a supply of hot water is constantly and consistently provided at a desired temperature.
Conventional electric water heaters typically include a control system that monitors a temperature of water disposed within the water tank to ensure that the water contained therein is maintained at a predetermined set point temperature. The set point temperature is typically a consumer-selected setting that allows the consumer to determine a temperature of the hot water to be produced by the water heater. The control system continuously monitors the temperature of the water within the tank via a temperature sensor and compares the sensed temperature to the set point temperature. The control system generally includes an upper temperature sensor associated with the upper heating element and a lower temperature sensor associated with the lower heating element. The upper temperature sensor and lower temperature sensor each provide information regarding the water temperature near the respective elements. The respective sensors, in combination with the upper and lower heating elements, allow the control system to selectively heat the water disposed within the tank when the sensed temperature falls below the set point temperature.
In operation, the upper heating element of a conventional electric water heater is energized by the control system to heat a volume of water generally between the upper heating element and a top of the tank (i.e., an upper zone of the tank). Once the water in the upper zone of the tank is at the set point temperature, the control system de-energizes the upper heating element and energizes the lower heating element. The lower heating element heats a volume of water generally above the lower heating element and below the upper heating element (i.e., a lower zone of the tank). The lower heating element remains energized until the water within the lower zone of the tank is at the set point temperature.
Water, when heated, rises due to the physical properties (i.e., density) of heated water relative to the cooler water within the tank. Therefore, as the lower heating element heats water, the heated water rises within the tank and cold water descends toward the lower heating element. The descending cold water mixes with the passing hot water and is heated by the lower heating element. This process continues until the entire volume of water disposed within the lower zone of the tank reaches the set point temperature.
When a consumer draws hot water from the tank, the initial hot water drawn from the tank outlet is disposed within the top zone of the tank, near the upper heating element and upper temperature sensor. When the hot water exits the tank, a fresh supply of cold water is introduced into the tank at an inlet. The inlet is generally disposed at a bottom of the tank, below the lower heating element. The incoming cold water eventually contacts the lower heating element as the hot water is displaced (i.e., drawn from the tank at the outlet). At this point, the lower temperature sensor detects the influx of cold water and relays the information to the control system. The control system processes the information from the lower temperature sensor and energizes the lower heating element to heat the incoming cold water until the set point temperature is achieved.
If the consumer does not use all of the hot water available in the tank, the lower heating element remains energized and continues to heat the water (as described above) until the set point temperature is reached. However, there are instances when the consumer draws a sufficient volume of hot water from the tank such that the volume of cold water entering the tank reaches the upper heating element. Such an occurrence is known as a “deep draw” event. A deep draw event is identified when the upper temperature sensor detects a significant drop in temperature due to the incoming cold water. Upon detection of the incoming cold water, the control system de-energizes the lower heating element and energizes the upper heating element in an effort to quickly heat the cold water to the set point temperature before the water exits the tank.
When the consumer stops using hot water, the influx of cold water is similarly stopped. At this point, the upper heating element continues to heat water disposed in the upper zone of the tank until the upper temperature sensor detects that the water disposed in the upper zone is at the set point temperature. The control system then de-energizes the upper heating element and energizes the lower heating element to heat the water disposed within the lower zone of the tank. The lower heating element remains energized until the lower temperature sensor detects that the temperature of the water disposed within the lower zone is at the set point temperature. In this manner, conventional hot water heaters include a control system that responds to a draw of hot water from the tank by continually heating the entire volume of water disposed within the tank to the set point temperature.
The capacity of an electric water heater is conventionally understood as the volume of water that the water heater is able to heat and maintain at a set point temperature. For example, an eighty-gallon water heater can heat and store eighty gallons of water. In this regard, then, the capacity of the eighty-gallon water heater is eighty gallons.
The effective capacity of the water heater that is realized by a consumer, however, is greater than the simple volume capacity of the water heater that was just described. This is so because a consumer does not typically use water at the set point temperature when a call for “hot water” at a household fixture is made. While the set point temperature for a water heater can vary, it is not uncommon that the set point is at 120° F. or higher. A consumer demand for “hot water” at a fixture, however, generally is for water at a comfortable temperature that is well below the set point temperature. Consequently, in order to produce the “hot water” that is used by the consumer, water drawn from the water heater is mixed with cold water from the building water supply. Thus, for example, for every gallon of “hot water” that is used by the consumer, only a half-gallon of water is drawn from the water heater. This effectively increases the amount of “hot water” that the electric water heater can provide to a consumer.
As a general proposition, the higher the set point temperature of the water heater, the lower the volume of water that needs to be drawn from the water heater in order to produce “hot water” for the consumer. Similarly, the lower the set point temperature of the water heater, the higher the volume of water that needs to be drawn from the water heater in order to produce “hot water” for the consumer. Thus, the effective capacity of the water heater can be adjusted by raising or lowering the set point temperature of the water heater. For example, a lower set point temperature would require more water from the water heater to produce the desired “hot water.” Thus, hot water from the water heater is used faster and the effective capacity of the system is reduced. Conversely, raising the set point temperature would require less water from the water heater to provide the same “hot water.” Increasing the set point temperature, therefore, increases the capacity of the water heater.
Conventional water heaters, as previously discussed, include a control system that maintains water disposed therein at a relatively high temperature to maximize effective capacity and provide the consumer with the greatest volume of “hot water.” The high set point temperature requires frequent cycling of the upper and lower heating elements to maintain water disposed in the water heater at the set point temperature, as heat loss through tank walls becomes greater at higher temperatures. Therefore, while a high set point temperature is desirable from an effective capacity standpoint, the high temperatures require frequent cycling of the upper and lower heating elements. Cycling of the upper and lower heating elements increases energy consumption and therefore reduces the overall energy efficiency of the water heater.
Therefore, a controller for an electric water heater that provides a consumer with a maximum effective capacity while concurrently providing a decrease in energy costs is desirable in the industry. Furthermore, a controller for an electric water heater that satisfies increasingly stringent government energy standards, while concurrently providing a consumer with a maximum effective capacity of hot water, is also desirable.