You don’t use water 24 hours a day, so why pay to heat it?
While so many of us are trying to save money by cutting costs, it is interesting to note that next to heating and cooling, water heating is typically the largest energy user in our home. Some consumers are finding tankless water heaters to be an excellent way to cut utility costs and be more energy efficient.
Here are some of the differences between traditional water heaters and tankless water heaters. Traditional water heaters heat and reheat the same water. A traditional water heater is designed to heat and store water in a tank, usually 40-50 gallons at a time. When this water is used, the tank is filled again with new water from your water source, which is then heated and stored until the next use – an endless cycle. A tankless water heater, however, heats water only at the time it is being used. Tankless water heaters heat water directly without the use of a storage tank. They avoid standby heat losses associated with storage water heaters and are able to provide an endless supply of water.
According to Rinnai, tankless water heaters are 50% more energy efficient than traditional water heaters. They have about twice the life expectancy of a traditional water heater and are wall mounted thereby not taking up any floor space. There are many brands of tankless water heaters including: Noritz, Rinnai, Rheem, and Paloma and can be found through local plumbing supply companies. Mr. Plumber, recommends the Rinnai tankless water heater which was rewarded the ENERGY STAR ® rating this year. Tankless systems feature flash heating and combines ultra-efficient consumption with low-emission technology, thereby reducing CO and NOx emissions, helping reduce your home’s carbon footprint.
The most important thing to know when buying a tankless water heater, according to Haines, is whether you want an electric heater or a gas heater. If you have a big house, with more than one bathroom, you will need a large unit that can keep up with the heating. The best choice would be a gas heater because the capacity is much higher and it can heat the water faster than an electric heater. For a smaller house or an apartment, an electric heater is best as it is smaller and easier to install.
In a recent renovation in Atlanta, Georgia (featured in this year’s Earthcraft House Renovation Project at the Southern Building Show) a tankless water heater was chosen to provide energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly water heating. The benefits to the homeowner cited in this article include: providing hot water efficiently throughout the house, convenience of endless water supply and capacity to provide hot water to multiple appliances simultaneously with significant energy savings and compact installation allowing for additional valuable square footage to be better used in the house. With an 84% EF (energy efficiency rating), these units will recoup their initial investment in a short period of time as a result of the energy savings realized by only having to heat water when it’s needed.
Most people would not leave their homes heated while vacationing and only heat their homes when there is a demand for heat. In the same way, a tankless water heater is used only when there is a demand for hot water so we are not paying 24 hours for something we’re not using 24 hours.
For more information about Tankless Water Heaters, visit the following websites:
coolray.com, energystar.gov, and rinnai.us.
While so many of us are trying to save money by cutting costs, it is interesting to note that next to heating and cooling, water heating is typically the largest energy user in our home. Some consumers are finding tankless water heaters to be an excellent way to cut utility costs and be more energy efficient.
Here are some of the differences between traditional water heaters and tankless water heaters. Traditional water heaters heat and reheat the same water. A traditional water heater is designed to heat and store water in a tank, usually 40-50 gallons at a time. When this water is used, the tank is filled again with new water from your water source, which is then heated and stored until the next use – an endless cycle. A tankless water heater, however, heats water only at the time it is being used. Tankless water heaters heat water directly without the use of a storage tank. They avoid standby heat losses associated with storage water heaters and are able to provide an endless supply of water.
According to Rinnai, tankless water heaters are 50% more energy efficient than traditional water heaters. They have about twice the life expectancy of a traditional water heater and are wall mounted thereby not taking up any floor space. There are many brands of tankless water heaters including: Noritz, Rinnai, Rheem, and Paloma and can be found through local plumbing supply companies. Mr. Plumber, recommends the Rinnai tankless water heater which was rewarded the ENERGY STAR ® rating this year. Tankless systems feature flash heating and combines ultra-efficient consumption with low-emission technology, thereby reducing CO and NOx emissions, helping reduce your home’s carbon footprint.
The most important thing to know when buying a tankless water heater, according to Haines, is whether you want an electric heater or a gas heater. If you have a big house, with more than one bathroom, you will need a large unit that can keep up with the heating. The best choice would be a gas heater because the capacity is much higher and it can heat the water faster than an electric heater. For a smaller house or an apartment, an electric heater is best as it is smaller and easier to install.
In a recent renovation in Atlanta, Georgia (featured in this year’s Earthcraft House Renovation Project at the Southern Building Show) a tankless water heater was chosen to provide energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly water heating. The benefits to the homeowner cited in this article include: providing hot water efficiently throughout the house, convenience of endless water supply and capacity to provide hot water to multiple appliances simultaneously with significant energy savings and compact installation allowing for additional valuable square footage to be better used in the house. With an 84% EF (energy efficiency rating), these units will recoup their initial investment in a short period of time as a result of the energy savings realized by only having to heat water when it’s needed.
Most people would not leave their homes heated while vacationing and only heat their homes when there is a demand for heat. In the same way, a tankless water heater is used only when there is a demand for hot water so we are not paying 24 hours for something we’re not using 24 hours.
For more information about Tankless Water Heaters, visit the following websites:
coolray.com, energystar.gov, and rinnai.us.
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