How Do Tanks Compare in Terms of Efficiency and Hot Water Output?
Typically, there are four measures of how a hot water tank operates: • Efficiency rating • Recovery rate assuming the temperature is raised by 90° F • 1st Hour recovery rate • Estimated operating cost Efficiency Rating Efficiency rating is a measure of the percentage of heat transfer from the energy source to your water. Standard electric tanks range from 88-95% efficiency while standard gas tanks range from 55-65% efficiency. Electric tanks allow for higher energy transfer because electric tanks heat your water through heating elements which are submerged in the water, while gas fired tanks are heated from below through a gas burner. Despite higher efficiency ratings, typically electric tanks are more expensive to operate as the cost of electricity needed to heat your water is higher than the cost of gas needed to heat your water. So, while heat transfer is more efficient in electric tanks, this does not mean that your overall energy usage is less in an electric tank. Because of this,
