In San Diego, heating water can account for up to 30 percent of the average home’s energy budget. This means that choosing the right water heater is an important decision. Should you choose a tankless water heater or tank water heater?
Tankless Water Heaters Save Money & Energy
Gas-fired tankless water heaters can cut your energy costs up to half over regular storage heaters. They use high-powered burners to quickly heat water and are about 22 percent more energy efficient on average than the gas-fired storage-tank models.
A tankless water heater can reduce your energy by about 20% to 50% depending on a number of factors like: how much hot water you use per day, the layout of your house, and so on. A tank water heater cycles on and off 24 hours a day to keep hot water in the tank. It cycles on and off whether your using hot water or not, so it uses a lot of energy to keep the stored water hot. Most homes only use hot water for about an hour per day, but the tank water heater holds and heats the water 24 hours a day. A tankless water heater only uses energy when you turn on the hot water. The tankless water heater flash heats the water and sends it along. So you only use energy when you use a hot water device.
Tankless heaters also produce a continuous and endless flow of hot water at a predetermined temperature. A tank water heater heats water up to 140 degrees to make the hot water supply last. Then you use cold water to cool it down. A tankless water heater is instantaneous and has no has no refresh rate. You set the temperature, and get perfectly heated water without wasting energy.
Installing a tankless water heater is commonly more expensive than tank storage, but in addition to savings on energy bills, buying a tankless water heater makes you eligible for hundreds in tax credits and San Diego utility incentives.
Tankless Water Heaters Live Longer
A tankless water heater typically lasts 2 to 3 times longer than a tank unit. This is because there is no tank to rust, crack or leak and no anode rod to replace. Tank water heaters lose efficiency over time because the minerals from the water build up inside the tank. These minerals are then stuck onto the interior components of the water heater – the heating elements, side walls, etc. and you spend more money on energy to compensate. A tankless water heater keeps the same level of efficiency because it doesn’t store water in a tank and is not as vulnerable to mineral build-up.
See our blog about keeping tankless water heaters clean or learn more about dealing with San Diego’s hard water).
Don’t Get Burned – Get Tankless
Tankless water heaters have a built-in protection from scalding accidents. Some models even come with a control pad that is mounted to the hot water device (like next to the bathtub). If you wanted to adjust the temperature of a bathtub to exactly 120 degrees, adjust the temperature on the control pad to 120 degrees, and get a constant flow of 120 degree-water.
To learn more about tankless water heater options for San Diego homes, call us at (866) 374-0402 or request an appointment for a consultation.