Cala Systems

His water heater has an "Energy Saver" mode. It actually uses more energy. 😅
60 seconds, one real homeowner, and Matt Ferrell makes the case better than we ever could.
[link in bio] and here https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7mpTWhzQUBQ

Sandy Springs, GA 📍

Another Cala install in the books. Thanks to NextGen Water Heaters for the great work!

Matt Ferrell came to visit our factory to see how Cala is built — and why he called it:
“Why This Smart Water Heater is Genius.”

Most water heaters are reactive.
They wait until you run out… then try to catch up.

We built something different.

Cala treats your water heater like a thermal battery:
• Heating when electricity is cheaper
• Using solar when it’s available
• Avoiding unnecessary reheating
• Making sure hot water is ready when you need it

Same tank. Different intelligence.

The result:
More usable hot water, lower energy use, and a system that runs quietly in the background.

Watch the full video to go inside the factory and see how it all comes together. Link in bio and here as well https://ow.ly/uX0K50YR2oX

Our CEO, Michael Rigney, and VP of Sales sat down with the Advanced Water Heating Initiative to talk about how Cala is rethinking hot water at home.

Cala doesn’t just heat water—it plans ahead, learning your usage to deliver hot water when you need it, while using energy more intelligently.

It’s a great listen—check it out, it's a ↓
https://ow.ly/hv5450YKxZo

"This just seems better.”

That’s the reaction we hear most from homeowners and installers when they see how Cala works.

A big reason? The integrated mixing valve.

Here’s why it matters.

Cala learns your home’s hot water rhythms. Before peak demand — showers, laundry, dishes — it intelligently increases the tank temperature. That means a 65-gallon tank can behave like a much larger system, without actually taking up more space.

For example, Cala may heat the tank to 140°F ahead of peak use. The mixing valve then blends that hot water with cold mains water to deliver a safe, steady 120°F to your taps.

More usable hot water.
No temperature swings.
No manual adjustments.

Most systems don’t include a mixing valve as standard. And when they do, the tank is typically left at a fixed high temperature — wasting energy and money.

Cala adjusts dynamically. It can increase thermal capacity when it makes sense — around time-of-use pricing, solar production, extreme weather, or heavy usage — and then return to optimal levels automatically.

Water heating, customized to your life and your home.

It just makes sense.

Cala is the only water heater available that combines predictive intelligence with a variable speed compressor. But why does this matter?

Most heat pump water heaters utilize a fixed speed compressor which is either on or off - the analogy here is “I’m either parked or I’m driving 60 miles an hour”. Not a very economical way of getting around.

Cala’s variable speed compressor is different. It can automatically adjust its operating speed. This means we can heat low and slow when efficiency is prioritized, or faster to increase recovery when hot water is needed quickly.

Importantly, to take full advantage of this type of compressor, you need the predictive intelligence that knows how to control it - otherwise it’s like having a fighter jet without a nav system.

Variable speed compressors are already common in the HVAC industry but haven’t gone mainstream in water heaters yet - we’re here to start the transformation.

“I bought Cala for two simple reasons: I liked the technology. And I wanted to lower my electric bill.
The idea that my old water heater was heating water all day—whether we were home or not—just didn’t make sense.”
— Jeff, MA

Traditional water heaters react after the tank cools down—using more energy and driving up bills.

Cala works differently.
It learns when your home actually needs hot water and heats gradually instead of rushing.

Same comfort.
Lower bills.
Less wasted energy.

Back to basics for a second 👇

Heat pump water heaters are the most efficient way to heat your water but why is that? And what even is a heat pump?

You’ve already used one.
Air conditioners and refrigerators are heat pumps. They don’t create heat, they move it.

Traditional water heaters work like this:
🔥 Burn fuel
⚡️ Or turn electricity directly into heat (basically a toaster… for water)

That approach is inefficient. For every unit of energy you use, you get at most one unit of heat.

Heat pumps work differently.

They use electricity to move heat from the surrounding air into the tank using a compressor and refrigerant even when it’s cold outside.

That’s why heat pump water heaters can be 3–5x more efficient, using up to 75% less electricity than traditional electric systems with the same hot showers.

Same comfort. Less energy. Smaller footprint.

Cala Systems x NYT Wirecutter

We’re excited to see Cala featured in The New York Times Wirecutter guide to heat pump water heaters called out in the “What to look for” section.

Wirecutter highlighted Cala’s smart design and machine-learning scheduling, which learns your household’s hot-water patterns to reduce standby heat loss and maximize energy savings.

“Cala Systems is a newer heat pump water heater manufacturer that’s intrigued us with the smart design of its heat pump water heater, which uses machine learning to predict your water usage schedule…”

Big thanks to the Wirecutter team and Thom Dunn for taking a close look at what we’re building. Recognition like this helps move the conversation forward and helps more people rethink how hot water should work.

🔗 Link in bio