What is a Tankless Water Heater?
A conventional water heater has a large tank of water that is heated by electricity or gas. The water in the tank is kept hot, which results in some waste. Tankless water heaters are commonly used in Europe and Asia, and are starting to gain attention in the United States as well. These units heat water as they come through the system, instead of heating water ahead of time in a tank. Tankless water heaters are also called on-demand heaters, because hot water comes out instantly, whenever it is needed. In addition to saving energy, these units also are space-efficient. Larger units may be used to heat the water for all sources in a home, although there may be some dropoff in heating if multiple hot water appliances are being run at the same time. The same is true however, for a tank heater, although the dropoff can be much more drastic with a tankless heater. One way to avoid the dropoff in heating capacity is to install multiple smaller tankless units to serve each area of the home. A
Tankless Water Heaters, also called Instantaneous or Demand Water Heaters, provide hot water only as it is needed. Traditional storage water heaters produce standby energy losses that cost you money. We do not leave our homes heated while vacationing. We only heat our 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.
Conventional water heaters require large amounts of time and energy to warm an existing tank of water to a desired temperature. If you have exhausted your supply of hot water or have just adjusted the tank temperature, you’ll need to wait a while for access to warm water. A Tankless water heater, on the other hand, gives you instant access to hot water. Since cool water is warmed as it passes through the device, you have unlimited, instant access to warm water. This, in turn, a tankless water heater conserves energy and water and saves you time and money. In fact, when installed at each hot water faucet, tankless water heaters can be up to 40% more energy efficient than the conventional water heaters.
Most people in North America currently use a storage tank water heater to provide hot water in their homes. A storage tank water heater keeps water hot 24 hours a day, even while you’re at work or sleeping. A tankless water heater, on the other hand, does not store hot water. It heats the water as you use it.
