If it gets a little cheaper, the combination with Eco One will be perfect for the post-FIT era.
I have been paying attention to EcoOne, a hybrid water heater that combines EcoCute and EcoJozu, for some time now. It also uses the least amount of primary energy, according to the national web program.
However, compared to EcoCute, which has become explosively popular, the actual initial cost is about twice as much. Moreover, the running costs are often higher than EcoCute. In short, it is the most energy-efficient, but not the most economical, which is a contradiction. Manufacturers are aware of this, and so do not include EcoCute in running cost comparison tables. This is because they know that if they did, they would lose out.
Ecocute remains the most cost-effective water heater, but if you use the surplus power utilization mode of solar power generation, it becomes even more effective as a storage battery for those who have completed the initial 10-year high-value purchase period (so-called post-FIT). However, even the manufacturers who can utilize the most surplus power are limited to using surplus power for a maximum of four hours during the day. This is inside information, but it seems that a secret agreement has been made with the manufacturers because if surplus power is utilized any more than this, the amount of electricity sold by the power companies will decrease significantly.
A similar case can be seen in the case of solar water heaters on gas water heaters. I have heard that water heater companies are being considerate to gas companies by not increasing the efficiency of solar water heaters above a certain level.
Either way, this is very unfortunate for Japan, a country that relies heavily on imports of fossil fuels.
In the meantime, EcoOne does not seem to have any restrictions on the use of surplus electricity. This alone is a wonderful thing. Also, in the Shikoku area, there are construction companies that purchase it at a very low price (a level that can withstand a total cost comparison with EcoCute).
Prices won't go down unless more units are sold. Prices go down if more are sold. It's a chicken-and-egg question, but Eco One deserves to sell even more. In fact, I think it's a water heater that should sell. However, neither the electricity nor gas industries are making any real effort to sell it, naturally... So, despite it being an excellent piece of equipment, there are no signs of it selling at all... I hate the subsidy system, but I would like to see it used to raise prices for these great pieces of equipment that don't motivate the industry.
For reference, Rinnai has created a new website that provides very easy-to-understand visual explanations on how to make effective use of surplus electricity.
