Are you looking to shave some off your utility bill? One way to do this by upgrading to a new hot water heater, not just any heater, but a tankless hot water heater. With hot water accounting for about 20 percent of today’s utility costs this could be a worthwhile investment.
Now, before it’s an emergency, is a good time to consider the options. It’s been a decade, or more, since you’ve had to deal with this issue and in the meantime hot water heater technology have shown efficiency improvements, especially with tankless heaters.
With a renewed interest in energy efficiency the Department of Energy’s Energy Star ratings become more important as a tool for helping you make a decision. Rising energy costs have brought that to our attention lately. What you will find is that tankless model hot water heaters are much more efficient and have a longer estimated life span than tank models.
It would be easy if energy efficiency was the only consideration with a tankless hot water heater but there are a few other points that will help in making the right choice. Two of these are easy to come by; which are the climate zone you live and how much hot water to need available at peak times to satisfy your needs. The third useful piece to the puzzle is what your utility companies charge for their service.
Each residence has different needs but the basic information will apply. To find the flow rate, a data that is used to determine the capacity of the heater you need requires two numbers. These are gallons per minute, a figure that represents your peak hot water use. The other number is the temperature difference between water as it enters the house and used at the showerhead. The two extremes could, in northern climates, be 40 F degrees and 110 F degrees. So this difference, also known as temperature rise can be found on manufacturer’s sites as a chart that shows the capacity of the tankless heater you need.
Some residences have hot water tanks installed where there is space rather than for the most efficient use. If this problem has plagued you for too long, a residential tankless hot water heater can give you the opportunity to revisit this problem. Small, easy to mount tankless models can be placed almost anywhere there is wall space. Multiple tankless units can also be configured to maximize efficiency. You could, for instance, have the main gas tankless in the basement and a smaller electric in the kitchen or bedroom. There are many possibilities.
Finding a tankless hot water heater that will fit your needs for the next 20 years or at least be adaptable should be your main target. Using the flow rate to pick the size of tankless heater, you can figure the cost of the heater, whether it will be gas or electric. Add that to the cost of installation to find the total cost of your investment. This is something that should be measured over the life of the heater, about 20 years.
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