Hot water heaters – almost every home has got to have one (and if you don’t, you’re going to be taking a lot of very, very cold showers). But maybe you need to have a hot water heater installed or replaced. If that’s the case, our trained professionals here at Michael Runk Plumbing and Heating Services are ready and willing to help out. Here are some responses to questions we’ve gotten about hot water heaters.
What kinds of hot water heaters are out there?
We get this question a lot, and the answer is always, “What kind of hot water heater do you need?” There are a lot of options, and a lot of ways to customize a hot water heater to be the most practical it can be for your home. While there are tons of choices for how you want to customize your heater, they all stem from a few basic possibilities.
- The most stripped-down, but definitely up there in functionality: your standard tank water heater. These are also the most widely used hot water heaters in the United States. A tank-based hot water heater will continuously heat somewhere over around 50 gallons of water, so you have hot water ready for use when you need it.
- Also available are super-efficient tank water heaters. These are fundamentally exactly the same as a standard tank, but they are much more energy-efficient due to being better insulated and structurally of a higher quality.
- A tankless water heater is just as it says: there’s no tank, and they’ll heat water on the spot, so you always have water that’s ready for use – no waiting for the water to reheat after a long shower!
How can I reduce the cost of my water heating?
While buying a more energy efficient water heater may cost more up-front, overall you will be saving a lot of money by reducing the amount of energy that goes into heating the water. On the other hand, a standard water heater will definitely do the job, and will be much less expensive up-front. It’s up to you to figure out what may be the best way to reduce your costs.
Which are the most energy efficient hot water heaters?
The most energy efficient way to heat your water is to use a tankless water heater. According to a journal from the North Carolina Consumers Council, these are best used in single-family homes where you’re already keeping your water use at a reasonable level (i.e. don’t run the dishwasher and the washing machine while two people shower simultaneously). But for those of you who are willing to front the money for a more efficient system, a tankless water heater is a great way to go.
Although not quite as efficient, using a better-insulated tank of a higher caliber can be a great idea if you want to save heating costs and heat up your water more quickly.