A year ago we launched the world’s most intelligent water heater with the mission of decarbonizing every tap, saving homeowners money, and delivering ample hot water. Why? Because water heating is the last frontier of home electrification - it’s the second largest use of energy in the home and accounts for 3% of domestic carbon emissions, more than aviation.

Enter Cala - the first intelligent HPWH that can “charge up” on hot water the same way an EV does: when electricity is cheapest, solar is most abundant, and the grid is producing cleaner energy - all while ensuring you have ample hot water at times of peak demand. The potential’s been there for years, but traditional systems simply don’t deliver.

High-level missions are great, but impact is what counts - so how have we actually performed a year since launch? Well…

More Savings, Less Energy

On average, our fleet utilizes the heat pump for over 90% of all energy consumption. Compare this with a recent study concluding that traditional HPWHs only use the heat pump for as little as 65% in the real-world, meaning they’re simply not delivering on the full efficiency benefits of owning a HPWH.

Over 25% of Cala homeowners are coordinating their systems with home solar and/or variable electric rates - many of these homeowners are natively integrating Cala with Home Assistant too. Take the example of Jason in North Carolina, who expects to save almost $650 this year after switching to Cala from an electric resistance unit and also coordinating with his electricity rates. This is because his off-peak rates are half of his peak rates, and Cala is able to shift heating to those lower cost hours. Over time, this adds up in a major way.

Or take contractor Tim in Ohio, who reached out to tell us “it’s pretty damn impressive” that his customer’s monthly energy usage dropped by more than 50% - from 137 kWh to 61 kWh - after replacing a traditional HPWH. Further proof that Cala is demonstrating meaningful real-world benefits over traditional systems.

Uncompromised Comfort

Our fleet has delivered hot water at the target temperature virtually 100% of the time - ok, only 99.7% 🙂

Customer satisfaction remains incredibly high with a 4.9 review on Google and some of the love below

Delivering best-in-class real-world performance like this reflects how Cala’s decision to vertically integrate has paid dividends as we grow and scale. Our engineering, sales, and manufacturing teams all live under one roof at our 25,000 sq ft HQ just north of Boston where we design, assemble, and sell the product. This enables tight feedback loops, rapid iteration, and high levels of quality control.

With over 400 units sold, 200 Cala Pros in our pipeline, and availability in 48 states (Cala is now NEEA-listed Tier 4 and available in WA and OR, but that’s a post for another day…) Cala is showing how to achieve more energy efficient, cost effective water heating without compromising on comfort.

Huge thanks to our customers, contractors, and partners for helping us deliver a heat pump water heater that actually acts like one. Here’s to many more years of hot water to come!