What can you tell me about the new tankless hot water systems?
On-demand water or tankless heaters heat water directly without the use of a storage tank. They avoid the standby heat losses associated with keeping large amounts of water hot. When a hot water tap is turned on, cold water travels through a pipe into the unit. Either a gas burner or an electric element heats the water. As a result, demand water heaters deliver a constant supply of hot water. Typically, demand water heaters provide hot water at a rate of 2-5 gallons per minute. Don’t forget to also consider a solar water heater. Learn about them through our Solar Water Heating factsheet.
Tankless, or on-demand, water heaters heat water directly, without the use of a storage tank. They avoid the standby heat losses associated with keeping large amounts of water hot. When a hot water tap is turned on, cold water travels through a pipe into the unit. Either a gas burner or an electric element heats the water. As a result, demand water heaters deliver a constant supply of hot water. Typically, demand water heaters provide hot water at a rate of two to five gallons per minute. Gas-fired demand water heaters produce higher flow rates than electric ones. Sometimes, however, even the largest gas-fired model cannot supply enough hot water for simultaneous multiple uses in large households. For more detailed information, visit our Sustainable Building Sourcebook, an online guide containing essential information on more than 50 green building topics. Organized by chapters, the Sourcebook is easy to navigate and print. Note to Austin Energy customers: Although electric demand wate
