Could investing in a tankless water heater significantly improve your water heating energy use and provide great savings on your water heating costs? Paying a hot water bill is not at the top of anyone’s favorite list, especially when it’s a large amount of money, but having enough hot water to meet the needs of your family is critical. Keeping that in mind, it may be time to consider another water heating solution, starting with a different type of water heater.
Have you ever considered a tankless water heater? It’s designed to operate quite differently than the standard tanks you’re used to, and it doesn’t require a large, bulky tank that heats water constantly. The following information helps explain how a tankless water heater can reduce your hot water heating costs.
At 128 Plumbing, we can provide support to you when determining if a tankless water heater is the right option for your needs. During the cold Massachusetts weather, reliable hot water is necessary. With a tankless water heater, you don’t have to worry about the tank running out of hot water.
How Does a Tankless Water Heater Work?
In traditional water heaters, there’s a large tank present, and it holds approximately 20, 30, or more gallons of water. Similar to a big pot on a stove, a flame usually burns at the bottom to heat the tank. This heats the water in the tank over an extended period. This water heating process works to get the temperature up to the proper level, so when you want a hot shower, you can turn on the faucet and hot water is instantly available.
The problem is, to maintain an abundance of hot water, it has to be heating continuously. These traditional water heaters keep water hot by burning fuel to keep that flame going.
With tankless water heaters, there’s no tank or ongoing water heating. Instead, the tankless water heaters work to heat water only when you need it. They work much faster and provide immediate hot water.
What Makes These Tankless Water Heater Systems So Different?
Tankless water heaters are often called demand-type or instantaneous water heaters. In short, these tankless water heaters don’t start heating water until someone starts to draw water from the faucet. That eliminates any need for storage of water in a tank and the fuel needed to keep this stored water hot.
How does that happen? When someone opens the hot water tap, cold water moves through a pipe into a specific unit of the tankless water heater that begins to heat the water. There’s a dedicated burner present that raises the water temperature, so your faucet sends out hot water.
There are several different tankless water heater styles available. Some of these tankless water heaters use electric heating elements to heat the water, and others use a gas burner for heating water in a tankless system. Either tankless option can significantly reduce the amount of energy used to heat water.
How Does a Tankless Water Heating Method Impact Your Hot Water Experience?
There’s no storage of water with this water heater system, but tankless water heaters have a lower water flow rate. There’s no limit as to how much hot water is available to you from tankless water heaters. With tankless water heaters, it’s possible to draw hot water without ever running out, as opposed to a storage tank, where running out of hot water is common among large families.
Tankless systems can typically provide hot water at a rate of two- to five-gallons each minute. Differences are based on the type of fuel the tankless system uses for heating. For example, tankless natural gas water heaters produce hot water faster than an electric version, simply because gas can heat water more quickly.
Some gas models have limitations if hot water is being drawn from several tankless systems at one time throughout the home. Since each area still pulls from the same source of gas, this means that some tankless water heaters won’t get as much of the fuel necessary to heat and maintain the high production rate.
Generally speaking, though, these water heaters are quite reliable, and as tankless systems, they tend to be energy saving.
Just How Good Is a Tankless Water Heater at Keeping Energy Consumption Low?
Like all water heaters, the tankless water heater needs some type of fuel for heating water. Based on the system selected, they can work on natural gas or electricity. Some even use solar power to heat the water. When you work with our team at 128 Plumbing, our qualified technicians can provide you with recommendations based on which and how many tankless systems are best suited for your home’s water heating needs.
The average home uses about 41 gallons of hot water each day, and in this situation, tankless water heater models are 24%-34% more energy-efficient than having a traditional water heating storage tank.
The best use of energy with a tankless water heater comes from installing a tankless water heater at each of the hot water faucets or access points throughout the home. This can increase efficiency up to 50% more than heating through one tankless water heater system.
Are Tankless Water Heaters Right for Your Home’s Hot water Needs?
Upgrading from water heater tanks to tankless water heaters simply makes sense. It provides an opportunity to get hot water delivered right to your faucet whenever it’s needed. However, tankless water heaters are not all created the same. It’s important for you to compare the different types of tankless water heaters to determine which of these heating solutions is right for your home.
When comparing tankless water heaters, there are numerous things to consider, including:
- The tankless water heater’s energy source and whether that source is available to your home
- The warranty on the tankless water heater
- The tankless water heater installation requirements, which are based on the configurations of your home
- The amount of hot water your home needs
- The reputation and reliability of the tankless water heaters from the manufacturer you select
Schedule a Consultation with 128 Plumbing for Tankless Water Heaters
To learn more, contact our team today to request a tankless water heater installation quote. Our highly skilled technicians will be happy to schedule a consultation with you to discuss your water heating needs. As a family-owned and operated company with years of experience and a vast level of expertise, you can rely on us to support you with any of your HVAC needs. We serve Middlesex County, Greater Boston, North Shore, and Eastern Massachusetts.
