Tankless Water Heaters Might Save Money and Energy
Approximately a year ago, I wrote why I thought tankless water heaters were not ready for prime time. I took some grief for not endorsing these energy saving appliances, but I just could not justify the large extra initial cost and long break even point. Although there are still questions in my mind, it might be time for another look. I also read that restaurants are big users of the tankless heaters because they need a constant, even, supply of hot water and don’t like dealing with the inefficiencies of traditional water heaters.
Several things have changed in the past couple of years that make the tankless water heaters an easier choice to make. There are now more models that run on natural gas or propane. Even though the price of natural gas has skyrocketed in the past few years, it is still usually a more cost effective choice than electric. The tankless heaters really do work as advertised. If the house is empty all weekend, they do not waste energy like traditional water heaters keeping a large tank of water hot and ready to go. When you turn on the faucet, they heat the water as it flows through. As long as the water is running, there will be hot water. Close the tap and the heater is off. This endless supply is a nice feature. I know in some homes, if the dishwasher and laundry just ran and you want a shower, you may have to wait for the heater to reheat the tank of water.
Although tankless water heaters are getting better all the time, they do have a rated flow capacity, so installing the correct size is important. You want one that can keep up with the demand if several appliances or people are drawing hot water at the same time. I have been told, but don’t know for sure myself, that the gas powered ones keep up better. Also, some of the larger capacity models won’t turn on if you run a faucet only at a trickle. I was told that most will come on at about a flow of 1/2 gallon per minute, which is actually a pretty low flow. Another advantage of the tankless heaters is that they are very small compared to traditional water heaters. They can be installed on the back wall of a closet and never be in the way. I would imagine the gas ones, at least would have to be on an external wall so the burned gas could be piped to the outside.
Initial expense is still an issue, with the tankless heaters still costing 2 to 4 times as much as a traditional water heater. Normally it takes about 3 - 4 years to break even and start saving money. Right now there are lots of rebates and tax credits available for the tankless heaters that can reduce the initial cost and make the break even point arrive even sooner.
So, are they “ready for prime time”? Maybe. I talked to a real estate agent who has two in his house. One supplies the kitchen, laundry and downstairs bathrooms. Another, smaller one, supplies only the master bathroom which is at the far end of the house and has a large, jetted bathtub. If I was remodeling or building a new house, I would definitely install one instead of a traditional water heater. On the other hand, if the water heater in our current house went out tomorrow, I would probably replace it with the same type rather than go through the retrofitting expense of installing a tankless water heater.
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I purchased one years ago and I enjoyed it so much I actually started a company selling them. The titan don’t have the temperature variation problems that other units have and they are protected from dry-starts. They are very compact, very powerful and made in the USA by Niagara Industries who have over 23 years of experience. For more information please visit me site at http://www.etankless.com or you can call me at 888-688-8010
Comment by Ana (1 comments.) — January 3, 2008 @ 8:23 am
Hi Ana - thanks for your comment. I took a look at you site and the first thing I noticed is that the heaters are coming down in price. That is a good thing. I did wonder about one thing:
A chart show the temperature and flow rate, even on one of the bigger models as being 95 degrees @ 1gpm. Then 64 degrees at 1.5 gpm. What exactly is that showing? It can’t be the temperature of the water exiting the unit as it shows 4pm being 24 degrees. What am I not understanding about that table?
Also this is a quote form some instructions on the Etankless site:
If 1gpm is one faucet with an aerator, what would the average gpm be for two showers running at the same time? I ask because the first concern after price on these water heaters is ability to keep up with demand. If a tankless can’t keep up with at least a couple of showers or a shower and a couple of sinks at once, then you need to start installing multiple units in different parts of the house and that becomes another consideration. We have a big house and one 90 gallon water heater. We never run out of hot water, even with two showers and a sink or two being used at once. In a family with 5 or 6 people that is not unusual usage.
Thanks!
-Will
Comment by Will — January 3, 2008 @ 2:37 pm
Wow I found this post fascinating and very interesting. I had never heard of tankless water heaters before so as I was searching for similiar green energy type blogs I was pleasantly pleased to find this, it sparked more interest to learn more about this, thanks for a great post.
Comment by troy (2 comments.) — May 7, 2008 @ 5:59 am
They are great inventions, Troy, but like LED light bulbs, need to come down in price a bit before they will be completely accepted.
Comment by Will — May 7, 2008 @ 12:36 pm
Sounds very good and I am almost sure that I will try a tankless water heater for my appartment because you post and the comments convinced me.
Comment by Technology Transfer (1 comments.) — June 7, 2008 @ 10:03 am
Another consideration is the climate you live in. Tankless is almost always better (even electrical) in warm climates because of the temperature of the incoming water. It doesn’t have to be heated up as much as in cold climates, so you use even less energy.
Comment by Tankless Water Heater (1 comments.) — July 13, 2008 @ 1:18 am
hi Will, I noticed the link to this post under “recent comments” and had to click through. My brother has a tankless water heater and swears by it. That said, I like your review. Rather than just saying they’re great OR they aren’t worth it, you point out the positives and the negatives, and leave the decision up to your reader. The initial cost is significant. I like the fact that you can’t “run out of hot water” and then have to wait for the tank to refill, but if the output capacity can’t keep up, or if I have to run my sink at a higher rate than I want to (wasting water), that’s a problem. This review reminds me of your post and comment on “is water the new oil?”. You wrote that low flow toilets are “great”, BUT you need a certain amount of water flow to move the solids through the pipe, especially on long, gradual runs. For every “great” solution, there are usually considerations and trade-offs. I like the fact that you point these out. ~ Steve (I’m not sure if I’d get a tankless water heater, but if I needed trade show booths, I know were I’d go!)
Comment by trade show booths (45 comments.) — July 13, 2008 @ 7:35 am