Save Big with a Tankless Water Heater
Thinking about a tankless water heater? Having a hot water heater and multiple people in the home means the last person to take a shower usually gets stiffed in the hot water department. If this has ever happened to you, you likely either get a lukewarm shower or freezing cold water halfway through your shower. In this scenario, you likely have a traditional, hot water heater with a large tank, holding a certain number of gallons. With a tankless water heater though, you would not have to worry about that cold shower ever again.
How Tankless Hot Water Heaters Work
Unlike large, heavy and bulky hot water heaters with tanks, the tankless water heater (typically electric) is a small unit that takes up little space and is usually installed on the outside wall of a home or in the place of the old water heater. This tankless version is set on a specific water temperature so when you turn on a hot water faucet inside your home, the unit kick starts, heating the water immediately.
In other words, your water is only heated when you are using it rather than the tanked version which uses up energy constantly keeping water hot in the large tank. It can be quite expensive keeping this stored water hot, even during those times when it is not used.
Cost Efficient
Your utility bills will lower if you have a tankless water heater since energy is only spent heating water when you need it, instead of constantly in a tank water heater. A lot of energy is spent with traditional hot water tanked heaters, because it keeps cycling to maintain hot water in the tank regardless of whether you are home or not.
What you may not realize with the tanked version of water heaters is that they often overheat the water so that there is little chance of running out of hot water when you need it. In addition, these tanks will also add cold water as needed to ensure the water coming out of your tap is not scalding. These little quirks are what keep your utility or electric bills high in addition to the practice being environmentally wasteful. A tankless water heater is efficient and will save you money in the long run.
While the initial cost of a tankless water heater is about two to three times that of a traditional tank hot water heater, you will easily recoup the cost within two years. Energy savings of 25 to 50 percent is quite feasible and realistic, depending on where you live. There are also other benefits to the tankless water heater and they include a lifetime warranty (no tank water heater has that), no leakage possibilities, and environmentally friendliness since it requires less energy and therefore less fossil fuels for operation. In addition, a tankless water heater takes up little space and it is healthier too since there is no water sitting around in a tank, possibly breeding bacteria.
