Ed Begley Jr. promotes energy efficiency

Many Hollywood types have hopped on the green bandwagon in recent years, but Ed Begley Jr. gets credit for having been on board for decades. I caught up with the 58-year-old actor and environmental activist at the International Builders’ Show on Friday, February 15, to talk about things green and a product he was pitching. (Celebs rarely show up at trade shows unless their hawking something.)

“Growing up in smoggy L.A., by 1970 I’d had a bellyful, and I wanted to do something about it,” says Begley, perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Victor Ehrlich on the 1980s TV show St. Elsewhere, about his initial interest in green matters.

His first move was the purchase of a Taylor-Dunn electric car in 1970s. The vehicle, recalls Begley, “was little more than a golf cart with windshield wipers and a horn.” These days, Begley walks and bikes to his destinations and also drives a fully electric Toyota RAV4, which he charges using solar power at his home in Studio City, California.

His house is equipped with all kinds of eco-friendly gear, including solar roof panels that can track the sun, a solar oven, and a rainwater-collection system. (See just how green Begley is at the Web site of his HGTV show, Living With Ed.)

The house also has the new A.O. Smith Vertex 100 power-vent gas water heater, the product Begley was promoting at the Builders’ Show. The Vertex uses an unusual helix configuration, basically 30 feet of coil that transfers gas-fired heat to the water (shown). This 100,000-Btu unit operates at 95 percent efficiency, according to the manufacturer, besting the 80 percent level of the most-efficient traditional water heaters. It is supposed to produce as much hot water as a typical 75-gallon model.

With a suggested retail price of around $2,000, the Vertex 100 (available only through wholesalers) isn’t cheap, though the manufacturer says it’s comparable in cost to premium water heaters. That price tag puts it above what Begley calls the “low-hanging fruit” of household energy conservation, products like compact fluorescent lightbulbs and thermostats. But, Begley reasons, the money people save using those products can eventually go toward more-expensive items.

“We’re heading in the right direction,” Begley says about making homes greener. “We haven’t completed all the tasks [toward building truly energy-efficient homes], but we’ve proved we can get there.”—Daniel DiClerico

Essential information: If you’re in the market for a new water heater, use our free buying advice. Read our expert advice for 10 easy ways to save hundreds of dollars on energy costs at your house, and visit our Energy-Saving Guide for expert advice on saving energy—and money—everyday.

Comments

[Kriston]

I think it's important to mention that while the gas water heater that costs $2000 is 95% efficient, a much cheaper $500 electric water heater is always 100% efficient.
Even though gas may be cheaper than electricity this must be factored into the offensively high $2000 cost for the 95% efficient gas water heater, and even more now that the cost of natural gas has skyrocketed.

[william kornrumpf]

While 100% of the electric heat energy delivered to water in an electric heater, the heater still looses heat to the basement through conduction and convection making the heater less than 100% efficient. At the best, electricity is generated at 65% thermal efficiency (advanced combined cycle natural gas plant). In addition most estimates of the distribution losses in the electric system are around 10% making the electric hot water heater at best 58.5 % efficient from the natural gas pipe to your tank. The gas fired heater at 85% efficient (an older model) is still 45% more efficient than the electric water heater.

[Mark]

Can someone please recommend a reliable 50 gallon power vent gas water heater that is less than $1,000? I need to vent it thru a side wall via a PVC pipe. The Rheem website mentions that their model has a very quiet blower. I read some comments elsewhere that some models are very loud. Does anyone have any bad experiences with their particular model?