How do conventional water heaters compare with tankless water heaters?
Conventional water heaters are by far the most common type of water heater in the U.S. today. They range in size from 20 to 80 gallons (or larger) and are fueled by electricity, natural gas, propane, or oil. Called ‘storage’ units, these water heaters transfer heat from a burner or coil to water in an insulated tank. The total costs for hot water are three-fold. First, there’s the energy cost, secondly the heat transfer efficiency, and thirdly, the heat loss to the atmosphere from storage, or “stand-bye losses”. We won’t discuss energy cost comparisons here, so we’ll focus on heat transfer and stand-bye losses. In an electric water heater, the heat transfer is near 100% efficient, where as in a gas water heater it may be as low as 60% efficient. Then there’s the stand-bye loss. Older tanks can have a loss of up to 6 degrees per hour. Tankless water heaters do not contain a storage tank like conventional water heaters so they eliminate stand-bye losses. The Navien models Vertex installs
