Building a New Home: Tankless Water Heaters

Tankless Water Heaters, Are they worth it!

Okay, I had a friend ask me about tankless hot water heaters and I need some feedback from anyone who might have some personal experience either as a user, installer or builder. 

Here's what I have read or heard.  Tankless water heaters have an endless supply of hot water (but do they provide instant hot water) and they can save energy (but do they really, if you have an unlimited supply of hot water, won't people just use more hot water?).

So what is a tankless hot water heater. Well, a tankless water heater is a major appliance that heats water as it is needed. For this reason, it is often referred to as an "on demand" water heater. The traditional storage tank water heaters keep large quantities of water heated whether or not the water is about to get used. Storage tank water heaters expend energy to heat new water as hot water is used AND storage tank water heaters also reheat water that has not been used but has cooled inside the tank. On the other hand, a tankless water heater only expends energy to heat water as it is used. The energy savings from using a tankless water heater instead of a storage tank water heater are projected to be between 15% and 40% (NOTE: this projection is 15% to 40% of the approximately 20% of your energy bill that goes to heating water, not 15% to 40% of your entire energy bill).

Okay, so now you know what it is, what about the common features of a tankless water heater?  There are as follows:

• Quick Multi-unit Configuration: if you are planning on using more than one tankless water heater in a parallel configuration, look for models that are designed to be configured this way. It is possible to connect tankless hot water heaters that are not designed to be connected, but it is more challenging and more expensive.
• Energy Star: If you purchase a tankless water heater that is Energy Star rated, you know you've purchased a heater that is one of the most efficient available. What's the advantage to you? More hot water is created for less energy expended. Lower heating bills. Environmentally friendly.  
• Space saving design: Tankless water heaters tend to be fairly compact. If space is an issue for you, make sure the unit you get is indeed a "low profile" unit and fits into the space you have allocated for it.
• Electronic ignition of gas: Electronic ignition sparks the combustion process, and makes it unnecessary to have a pilot light.
• Wireless remote controls enable water users to remotely control the temperature of the water that is coming out of their faucet. 
• Indoor/outdoor installation: Some tankless water heaters are capable of being installed either inside or outside your home. The units that are installed outside usually require no dedicated venting.

Well, the what is solved, so why purchase a tankless water heater?  There are basically three reasons to buy a water heater:

1. You are tired of paying high energy bills, and have determined that a tankless water heater is a good long-term investment.
2. Your current water heater is broken and it cannot be repaired.
3. Your old water heater regularly fails to provide a sufficient supply of hot water.

Now let's answer the types and energy uses for tankless hot water heaters.  Two types of tankless water heaters are:

• Whole-house tankless water heaters have a relatively high capacity (2 to 5 gallons per minute) and are designed to provide hot water to entire house from a central location.
• Point-of-use tankless water heaters are relatively low capacity and are design to heat enough water for one or two fixtures. They are used when hot water is needed a distance from a residence's central water heater (a shower in a bath house, a sink in a guest house).

And for the three energy uses for tankless water heaters, they are:

• Natural gas is the most common fuel used for tankless water heaters. It heats water quickly and efficiently. To be able to use a natural gas tankless water heater, natural gas has do be available to homes on your street. If you already have gas appliances in your home, running the gas to the new water heater should be straightforward. If gas is available on your street but you are not yet connected, you will need to have your plumber coordinate with the utility company to run a line into your house. This job usually requires a permit and the work needs to approved by an inspector. You will need to vent the by-products of combustion safely from your home.
• Propane heats water quickly and efficiently like natural gas. However, unlike natural gas, propane is stored in a tank on your property. Rural homeowners frequently use propane because they do not often have natural gas service but they do have the space to store a propane tank.
• Electric tankless water heaters do not heat water as quickly as gas water heaters, which makes them ill-suited to be a central water heater functioning as the primary source of hot water in a home. Electric tankless water heaters can function well in some other configurations.

So what about the available brands and who are the top 10 rated tankless hot water heaters?  Splise brand comparison shopping rated the following in this order. 

1. Bosch
2. Rinnai
3. Noritz
4. Paloma
5. Rheem
6. Titan
7. Takagi
8. Powerstar
9. Eemax

10. Seisco

So there you have it, now who has experience with any of these?  Thank you for providing your input!

David L. Britt
Olathe, Kansas
http://www.davidlbritt.com/
http://www.heritage.net
http://heritagerealestateteam.com

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