Tankless Water Heaters: How They Work and What They Can Do For You
Water heating is a significant energy expense in most homes. With hot water accounting for as much as 15-25 percent of your monthly energy bill, it makes sense to look for alternatives that cost less but still provide enough hot water for your needs. Tankless water heaters, sometimes called on-demand or instantaneous water heaters, can provide plenty of hot water for household tasks while offering consistent savings of both energy and money.
Unlike traditional water heating systems, tankless water heaters do not use a tank to store hot water. Instead, these systems use a fuel-powered or electrical heating element to produce hot water when it’s called for. Tankless units provide the amount of hot water that’s needed for the task and no more. You pay to heat only the amount of water used.
You’ll see numerous benefits from using a tankless water heater, including:
- Continual hot water supply: Since these units heat water as it’s needed, they can provide hot water continually, unlike a tank of stored hot water that can run out before the task is finished.
- High energy efficiency: Tankless units typically use less energy to heat water than storage tank water heaters. Look for a model with a high Energy Factor (EF) number.
- Substantial cost savings: Tankless systems reduce the amount of energy needed to maintain an ongoing supply of hot water. There is no tank of water that can cool off and waste energy, or that needs to be heated again before it can be used. They are easy to maintain and service, which reduces their ongoing cost of operation.
- Quick recovery of investment: The monthly savings on your energy bills will allow you to recover the cost of a tankless water heater relatively quickly.
A disadvantage of tankless water heaters is that if you have a larger household, one whole-house unit may struggle to meet simultaneous hot water uses. In these situations, homeowners have the option of adding one or more supplemental point-of-use units.
With a history of service beginning in 1969, Rinaldi’s Energy Solutions is a premier provider of residential HVAC services for customers in Orlando and Central Florida. Contact us today for more information on tankless water heaters and how they can help you save money and energy.