There are a several factors you should consider when purchasing a water heater. How often do you use hot water? What size and type of water heater would best fit your needs? Maintenance, installation and guarantee. And of course, the cost.
Will you need a storage/electric-resistant, point-of-use, solar, direct or indirect water heater? The first decision in choosing a new water heater is usually the fuel source. A natural gas unit will cost less to operate than an electric model – the price difference can be paid back in energy savings in just a few months. If you heat with electricity and live in a warm and sunny climate, consider installing a solar unit. Solar units are environmentally friendly and can now be installed on your roof to blend with the architecture of your house.
Conventional Storage Water Heaters range in size from 20-80 gallons. Storage heaters send out hot water from the top of the tank. Cold water enters the bottom and slowly heats, but energy can be wasted when the storage system is not used. Newer models attempt to reduce this ‘standby’ heat loss and save the consumer money.
The idea behind a tankless system is that it heats the water as you need it instead of continually heating water stored in a tank. Tankless heaters have been the norm in much of Europe and Japan for quite some time, but they haven’t gained popularity until recently in the United States — largely due to the green movement. If you’re a good candidate for a tankless system, you can save a substantial amount of money every year on your monthly bills while at the same time conserving natural gas. Tankless heaters also last about five to 10 years longer than a tank heater, take up much less space and provide you with an unlimited amount of hot water. On the downside, a tankless system can cost up to three times as much as a tank heater and often requires costly upgrades to your natural gas line and an expensive venting system.
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