Origin by Steffes is an all-electric, large volume central heat pump water heating system, specifically designed for multi-family building projects with decarbonization design goals. Steffes uses 30+ years of experience in energy storage, HVAC, and manufacturing to provide this advanced heat pump water heating technology in one integrated solution. Designed as a system, Origin takes the complexity and cost out of your projects’ hot water system design. Our team of engineers stand ready to aid in the application and engineering design support to integrate Origin systems into your project.

Product & Design Features

• All-Electric & Energy Efficient
• One Single Source Centralized Unit
• Three sizes (25/50/75 units) designed for number of apartments on the hot water loop
• Modular system design, including storage tanks, swing tanks and expansion tanks with building interface section containing water pumps, heat exchanger, valves and controls
• Plug and play solution for easy installation and operation
• Comparatively priced to distributed systems
• Durably designed to last 20+ years
• Ideally suited for new construction projects

Why do People Want it? 

• Developers like extra square feet in the apartments (vs a HW heater in each apartment)
• Property Managers like not needing access to apartments to service the system
• Owners like better energy efficiency, decarbonization, and lower costs
• Engineers like the efficiency benefits and the system design aspects
• Electric utilities like the exclusive use of electricity and the system’s storage/demand response capability
• Environmental Advocates like the better energy efficiency and decarbonization

Why You Should Consider the Origin by Steffes over a Distributed System?

Heat Pump Water Heaters are more efficient but also can be more costly. The total installed cost of a distributed system with a 40 gal electric or gas hot water heater installed in each apartment can be $1000 per apartment. Typical design life of these units are 15 years, driving owners to plan to replace these units as early as year 10. Owners must regularly inspect and monitor water heaters to anticipate failures and replace. Often, heaters are not replaced until they have failed, leaving inconvenienced tenants. A centralized Origin system provides reliable, cost-effective hot water, eliminating the need to access the apartment for regular monitoring and repairs. Designed to last 2 times longer than distributed systems and with redundancy, property owners can be confident that their centralized Origin system will have hot water during the most demanding usage periods.

The high efficiency heat pumps which are at the heart of an Origin system will result in lower operating costs versus a distributed electric or gas water heating system. Heat pump water heaters are up to four times as efficient as conventical gas or electric water heaters. A centralized heat pump water heating system for your complex, not only gives you energy efficiency but also can reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from water heater. The Origin by Steffes utilizes CO2 technology in the heat pump that is environmentally friendly with a low global warming potential (GWP) of 1. Plus, heat pump water heaters can double as thermal batteries, storing excess electricity from production of wind and solar generation, making them super-green and super-efficient.