Tankless Hot Water Heaters Save You Money

Though central and supplemental air conditioning and heating units are usually the main energy users in homes, hot water heaters often come in at a close second. Water heaters are used often throughout the day, from kitchens to bathrooms to garages. Whether you are looking for a new water heater to replace your existing unit or if you're just looking for a more efficient way to save energy, choosing the right hot water heater will really pay off, especially in the long run.

There are many different types of hot water heaters: conventional storage heaters, tankless water heaters, heat pumps, and solar water heaters. The first uses a storage tank that fills up with hot water as you use it, which causes a significant amount of energy loss. A tankless water heater doesn't need a tank and provides an endless stream of hot water without wasting any energy. Heat pumps move heat from one area to another instead of generating heat, and though they don't waste as much energy as storage heaters, they come with a higher initial price. Solar water heaters, like their name suggests, uses solar power to provide hot water.

Which Water Heater Is Best?

A solar-powered water heater may be the most energy efficient and most rewarding in terms of long-run usage, but there are also many factors that affect your ability to use one: your location, the weather, and even the direction your roof faces. As a result, most people prefer to use a tankless hot water heater to save money in the short and long run.

As mentioned above, tankless water heaters, also known as "demand" water heaters, don't store the hot water in a reservoir. This gives you a constant and immediate supply of hot water whenever you need it. You don't have to wait for the cold water to slowly warm up, and as a result, your home can become 24 to 34% more energy efficient! Most of these hot water heaters, like those from Stiebel Eltron and Rheem, come with a number of safety features to make sure you and your family don't have to sacrifice safety to save money. Units like the DCH 10-2 electric water heater feature a scald guard thermostat that keeps the water temperature within safe limits at all times - a feature that comes in handy around children. Additionally, these tankless hot water heaters are made from sturdy, resistant material that is guaranteed to last 20 years or even longer - that's a full 5 to10 years longer than regular storage water heaters!


How to Choose a Hot Water Heater

A tankless water heater can be powered by either natural gas or electricity. Both are equally effective, but depending on the rates in your city, one source might be cheaper than the other in your hometown. More likely than not, gas costs less to use, but the initial heater price for tankless gas water heaters are usually a little more pricey than electric ones. However, in the long run, the costs equal out to be approximately the same in terms of usage as well as savings.

It may be possible that your home will need more than one water heater - it actually depends on how many rooms and bathrooms you have. If you have 2 to 3 bathrooms, a gas water heater like the Rheem RTG-66DVN provides the perfect flow rate for you to use water in all the bathrooms simultaneously. However, if you have 4 or 5 bathrooms, you can consider the Stiebel Eltron Tempra 36 electric water heater, which provides an even higher flow rate.

After installing a tankless water heater, you can save even more by following a few other tips and tricks:

  • Though almost all hot water heaters can be set to 140?? F, it's best to keep the temperature at 120 ?? F. Not only can the higher temperature cause scalding, but it also wastes up to 5% more energy.

  • Install a low-flow water fixture to slow water flow rates to about 2.5 gallons per minute (GPM) for showerheads and 1.5 GPM for faucets. This tip can save you up to 60% on your water bill!

  • Use energy efficient appliances to help you reduce the amount of hot water you use. Dishwashers and clothes washers with an Energy Star label save you a lot more money than using inefficient ones or even washing clothes and dishes by hand multiple times a day.

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