Tankless Water Heater
The
ingenious idea of an on-demand tankless water heater seems futuristic
and even unimaginable, perhaps impossible. Actually this concept of
heating water as it is consumed has been used in Japan and Europe for
over 75 years; yet in North America tankless water heaters were
introduced in the late 1970's. They have become increasingly popular
with the rise in gas and electricity costs though many consumers simply
replace their storage tank water heater without looking into the pros
and cons of the tankless water heater unit.
Basically tankless water heaters only use energy/gas when the hot water
tap is flowing (so only when you are actually using the hot water).
With the traditional storage tank hot water heater you are paying to
heat up to approximately 200 litres of water 24 hours a day, 365 days a
year. On average we use hot water one hour a day but heat the water in
our storage
tank heater 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That is a waste of gas or
electricity equivalent to 8,395 hours per year! The tankless water
heater is so efficient it will save you between 20 - 70% off of your
annual energy/gas bill. Some estimate your tankless water heater will
have paid for itself within 3 to 4 years.
What else will you save? Tankless
water heaters are recyclable so our
landfills won’t be filled with storage tank water heaters and
have double the life expectancy therefore you may not need to replace
the tankless water heater during your lifetime. There is little
maintenance required and little mineral build up since the water is not
sitting in the storage tank. If you do have hard water and currently
require the use of a water softener be sure to inquire about installing
the proper model of tankless water heater.
Tankless water heaters are either powered by gas (propane or natural
gas) or electricity. Electric tankless water heaters are more popular
than gas and require no venting. Either style of tankless water heater
is installed on the wall where your current storage tank hot water
heater is situated. It must be off the ground thereby freeing valuable
floor space. Installation is straight forward though should be done by
a professional.
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