Tankless Water Heaters vs. Traditional Water Heaters
From washing dishes to taking showers, hot water is a must-have commodity. Any delay or shortage of hot water can be a huge inconvenience. Heating water the conventional way may take up approximately 30 percent of a typical home’s energy usage. If you’re building a new home or renovating your old one, it’s important to make an informed decision about which type of hot water system to install. You have two choices: tankless water heaters or traditional water heaters. When choosing between traditional and tankless, there are many different aspects to consider. Your choice will largely depend on your lifestyle – how much hot water you expect to use – and how much money you’re willing to spend upfront.
Traditional water heaters use a tank system to heat and store hot water. As you need hot water throughout the day, you’re pulling from a supply of pre-heated water in the tank. The system will refill the tank as needed. If the tank runs out of hot water, you will have to wait until more water can be heated; you will receive cold water or luke-warm at best.
Also known as on-demand or instantaneous water heaters, tankless systems heat water on an as-needed basis. Your system heats water only during the moments you need it; no tank is needed. Just like traditional systems, tankless water heaters use either gas or electricity to heat water.
What does that mean in terms of cost and energy? Tankless water heaters are much more energy efficient because they’re not tasked with keeping a tank of hot water on standby, whether you’re using it or not. Tankless systems have been known to reduce energy bills up to 22 percent However, there’s a catch – upfront installation costs are usually much higher than a traditional water heater.
Depending on how much hot water you use, your energy savings will vary. If your family devours massive amounts of hot water, raising energy bills, a tankless system will possible save quite a bit on energy bills. If you’re single, the system will hardly turn on, still saving you energy.
Tankless water heaters also tend to last longer than traditional systems. Most systems will only need minor repairs as the years wear on. Yet, traditional water heaters tend to be a little more susceptible to damage. If something happens to the tank, you’ll probably need to install an entirely new system. Traditional water heaters tend to last between 10 and 13 years, while tankless water heaters usually last up to 20 years.
At A-1 Guaranteed, we’re your home energy specialists. Tankless hot waters are much smaller than traditional tanked systems, and one is usually afforded new space where the base of the old tank was. We can help you make the right decision when it comes to your water heater, and we can help you lower your energy bills. Contact us today to learn more.
