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HotSpot Heat Recovery Water Heater
Frequently Asked Questions

How much can I save?
How does HotSpot work?
How hot will the water get?
How many gallons of hot water will I get each day?
Where can heat recovery be used?
Can I use it to heat a swimming pool?
Does the equipment work with the newer high-SEER units?
Can I see some sample installation diagrams?
Will it work with my AC/refrigeration compressor?
Will it work with my existing hot water tank?
Does HotSpot help my compressor run better?
What is the warranty on HotSpot?
Does installing HotSpot void my compressor warranty?
What will be included with my HotSpot?
How does HotSpot compare to solar?
How come I never heard of this before?
How can I get a HotSpot?

See Glossary of Terms

How much can I save?

Depending on your location and usage patterns, with air conditioning it is possible to achieve savings of 98% on annual water heating costs, with 70% being a more typical number. If you are connecting HotSpot to a persistent cooling load unaffected by weather such as a walk-in cooler or freezer, display cooler or freezer, commercial kitchen air conditioner, or server room air conditioner, the savings can be up to 100%. Usually the profit/savings on this investment is 40% to 60% (rate of return) with a complete payback in 2-3 years or less.

How does HotSpot work?

The HotSpot is a relatively low cost device that captures the high temperature waste heat that your refrigeration, freezer or air conditioner compressor discards, and recycles it into your hot water tank. It makes a lot of free hot water. Click for a detailed explanation of the HotSpot heat reclaim unit.

How hot will the water get?

It is possible for the HotSpot unit to heat water up to 180 ºF or more with 130 ºF more typical, depending on the type of compressor/refrigerant used. Unless deliberately bypassed, the controls will limit the water temperature to 140 ºF to prevent scalding and/or comply with local plumbing code.

How many gallons of hot water will I get each day?

HotSpot production will vary with the size of your system (how many tons or BTU of compressor capacity), the system duty cycle, hot water usage patterns, the type of refrigerant used (R22, R410A, R134 etc.) and the starting water temperature from the water supply. Typical residential systems will make between 50 and 150 gallons per day, while commercial systems can make from 150 to 10,000 gallons or more of hot water per day. Thermodynamics is a well established science and an accurate projection can be easily calculated after obtaining your specific information. See HotSpot hot water production data.

Where can heat recovery be used?

HotSpot remote heat recovery can be used with all refrigeration systems using reciprocating, rotary, or screw type compressors including the newer BLDC (variable capacity) compressors. HotSpot is not designed to work with absorption chillers that use a cooling tower. Applications include hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, hospitals, schools, food processing, health clubs and residential use.

Can I use it to heat a swimming pool?

The HotSpot remote unit heat exchanger is all-copper which cannot be used with pool water. However, HotSpot provides a FPH (Titanium) heat exchanger designed for pools which can provide over 1,000,000 BTUs per day from a standard 5 ton AC/heat pump for free pool heating. Contact us for more information about the FPH.

Does the HotSpot equipment work with the newer high-SEER units?

Yes. High SEER units do operate at lower temperatures on the discharge side however even the most efficient systems still have to remove the same amount of heat from indoors to outdoors, per ton of capacity. Higher efficiency or higher SEER is related to how much electricity is used by the system, not the amount of heat rejected.

Can I see some sample installation diagrams?

Yes we have a complete set of detailed system diagrams, please click here.

Will it work with my AC/refrigeration compressor?

We guarantee that HotSpot can work with any compressor. HotSpot Energy can provide a unit for any size or type of compressor whether it be an air conditioner, heat pump, cooler/freezer compressor or a commercial system from 1.5 tons and larger. We offer quick-ship pre-engineered systems up to 100 tons and we can produce and deliver systems up to 2,200 tons.

Will it work with my existing hot water tank?

Yes, it's just a matter of basic plumbing. HotSpot will work with any brand or type of residential, commercial or industrial hot water tank, gas or electric, sized from 40 gallons to 10,000 gallons or more. Commercial users often gain additional benefits by installing the system with a pre-heat tank for higher efficiency and additional hot water capacity. HotSpot also offers a special tank adapter that makes it very easy to connect to a standard tank. HotSpot always recommends a pre-heat configuration for customers looking for maximum savings.

Does HotSpot help my compressor run better?

Yes! The HotSpot subtracts about 20% of the total rejected heat from the system which lowers the compressor head pressure, reduces the load on the condenser, and shortens compressor and fan run-times. This saves electricity, increases capacity, or a combination of both, and prolongs equipment life. A 13 SEER system can run at 16 SEER when HotSpot is installed.

What is the warranty on HotSpot?

All HotSpot units come with a 10-year limited warranty on the heart of the system, the heat exchanger and one year warranty on other components. There is an additional limited warranty of two years on the pump. The pump uses a replaceable ceramic / stainless steel cartridge that contains all of the moving parts and costs under $100.

Does installing HotSpot void my manufacturers warranty?

No, properly installing HotSpot does not void your warranty. Actually, HotSpot is likely to extend the life of your system by lowering the head pressure on the system. Sometimes you may hear about warranty concerns from a local HVAC technician, but if he/she checks with the AC manufacturer they will find out this idea is mistaken. We are always interested in talking with anyone who needs to have their information on this updated so please give us the name and contact information of anyone who claims our system will void a warranty, so we can discuss this with them directly. Federal law prohibits manufacturers or their dealers or representatives from voiding or threatening to void a warranty just because a user installs non-original components designed to improve the performance of the product. (Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, 15 U.S.C. § 2301 et seq.). We don't know of a single manufacturer that has a problem with desuperheater recovery. In fact, Trane recently released a bulletin confirming how to properly install our system on its newer high-SEER systems.

What will be included with my HotSpot?

Your HotSpot will include the system itself plus labor and materials needed to connect it and make it work. To see the full list of what's included, click here. HotSpot will either hire the installer for you, or refer you to a local licensed installer, as applicable.

How does HotSpot compare to solar water heating?

Solar water heating systems also help protect our environment, reduce our dependence on imported energy, save money and can be wonderful products - we would encourage you to explore the costs and benefits and invest in solar if it makes sense in your situation. But for some users, installing solar will cost too much or there may be other issues that prevent it from being installed. HotSpot and solar can usually each make about the same amount of hot water each day. HotSpot pays for itself up to three times faster than solar water heating because it costs less (requires as little as one third of the initial investment). See compare heat recovery to solar. HotSpot also is free of maintenance which can't be said for solar water heating panel systems.

How come I never heard of this before?

No reason you should have, unless you are involved in industrial or commercial refrigeration engineering. Large scale heat reclaim systems have been used for decades to save utility costs in manufacturing, industrial, grocery store, and other larger scale refrigeration applications. They typically consist of complex engineered projects involving 10's or 100's of tons of heat recovery.  Heat recovery has not historically been a well understood option for smaller energy users. HotSpot changes this by directly addressing the small-scale end of the market, on a national basis, offering simple, low-cost, plug-n-play heat recovery water heating solutions for home owners and small commercial users of 1.5 to 5 ton air conditioners or refrigeration compressors.

How can I get a HotSpot ?

HotSpot is available everywhere in the USA and in over 70 international locations through our global network of dealers and through factory authorized representatives. In other areas, we sell direct. Contact Us to get connected to the representative that services your area.