Many homeowners in Fresno and across California are making the switch to tankless water heaters, also known as “on demand” water heaters. A tankless water heater, as the name suggests, does not heat the water collected in a storage tank, as traditional systems do. Instead, the tankless system uses a gas or electric powered heating element to warm water as you need it, so that you only heat the water you use.
If you are wondering whether this types of system might be right for you, consider some of the benefits of a tankless water heater. These include:
- Never having to run out of hot water if your tankless system has been sized to fit your home.
- Significant energy savings, since there is no standby heat loss as happens in storage tank heaters.
- Less space taken up, allowing you to install a tankless water heater in a cabinet or even outside.
- A tankless water heater can last up to 10 years longer than a traditional water heater with a tank
- You can remove the risk of flooding, which is a risk with storage systems.
- Tankless systems have easy-to-use settings, and some are controlled by remote.
While these can be great benefits, you will want to weigh them against some of the potential drawbacks of these systems. The biggest disadvantage is initial cost, since these systems are more of an investment than traditional storage tank systems. If your home uses a lot of water, you’ll also probably need to install more than one tankless water heater, perhaps a whole-house model and one or more smaller point-of-use units.
In addition, each type of tankless system may have its own disadvantages, based on the fuel used to heat up the water. For example:
- Gas tankless units may require you to upgrade to a bigger natural gas line
- Electric units may need extra circuits
- If you get a propane or gas system, you may need to invest in venting
- Gas systems will need servicing each year
- Electric tankless systems will use more energy
- Gas systems may create greenhouse gases
Is a tankless water heater right for you? If you have questions or need help with a new water heater solution, please contact us at Donald P. Dick Air Conditioning. We have been helping clients in the Fresno area for close to 40 years.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the greater Fresno, California area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about tankless water heaters and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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