What is a Tankless Hot Water Heater?
Tankless hot water heaters heat water only as it is used, or on demand. Therefore they save energy and money. Water heating accounts for 20% or more of an average household’s annual energy expenditures. The yearly operating costs for conventional gas or electric storage tank water heaters average $200 or $450, respectively. Storage tank-type water heaters have “standby losses”: the heat conducted and radiated from the walls of the tank—and in gas-fired water heaters—through the flue pipe. These standby losses represent 10% to 20% of a household’s annual water heating costs. What is radiant heat? A radiant heating system circulates hot water through pipes in your floor, dispersing the heat and gently warming you and your home. What is an energy efficient toilet? The typical home toilet uses 30 – 40% of total household water use, and even more in commercial premises, so the potential for water saving is huge. Reducing the water use of conventional toilets can make them fairly ineffective
A tankless hot water heater, also called an instantaneous, or demand water heater, is an appliance that heats water as it runs through incoming pipes. They are praised for their energy savings and are considered part of a home plan for “greening.” Standard versions are available for use with gas or electric energy. Water heaters with a tank have been the residential standard for decades. These heaters hold water at a warm temperature while waiting for use and therefore use energy when it isn’t necessary. Tankless water heaters were created to remedy this waste. In order to encourage their use, the federal government offers a tax rebate for any home using a tankless hot water heater. An electric tankless hot water heater uses an electric element to heat the water. The water enters the unit, is warmed by the element and goes to the faucet or appliance hot. Some electric heaters can serve an entire house, but the most common type serves a specific appliance or room. For example, the heate
A tankless (Instantaneous, On-Demand) hot water heater is a natural gas or electricity powered device which takes in cold water as input and raises its temperature to produce hot water when the hot water tap is turned on. When the hot water tap is turned off, water is no longer heated. Hot water is not stored hence there is no need for an insulated storage tank. Since there is no heat storage, there is less heat loss over time. Basically, with a tankless system, you are not using energy to heat water when you are sleeping, at work, on vacation, away from your cottage, etc. Why Go Tankless? With my plans to finish my basement underway I wanted to increase the usable space and save on hot water costs. I also wanted to make sure that I could call someone to service the unit if there was a problem. After some research I realized that one way to accomplish the first two goals would be to replace the bulky hot water tank with a compact natural gas powered tankless hot water heater. Choosing
