Japanese EcoCute shipments pass 10 million
18th April 2025
JAPAN: Sales of EcoCute CO2 heat pump water heaters have exceeded 10 million units in the 24 years since its launch.
The milestone achievement has been revealed by the Japan Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Industry Association (JRAIA) based on cumulative domestic shipments as of March 2025.
The result of a collaborative R&D effort, the EcoCute heat pump was first launched by Corona Corporation in April 2021 and have since been introduced by many leading Japanese manufacturers, including Daikin, Panasonic, Hitachi and Mitsubishi Electric, as well as other Far East companies, like Samsung and Haier.
In 1995, Japan’s Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry and the Tokyo Electric Power Company started a research of domestic water heating systems. The aim was to reduce the DHW energy demand in a country where DHW accounted for around 34% of total domestic energy consumption. DHW consumption was far higher compared to countries in Western Europe at the time, with the average Japanese dwelling consuming around 420 litres of DHW at 85°C per day.
The Japanese government, which was closely involved with the initial study, decided to incorporate the EcoCute CO2 heat pump into Japan’s CO2 reduction programme under the Kyoto Protocol.
