This here is your standard conventional hot water we are noramlly use to seeing in a home. Within the last few years a new type of hot waters are starting to be installed in new homes.

Demand water heaters are common in Japan and Europe. They began appearing in the United States about 25 years ago. Unlike "conventional" tank water heaters, tankless water heaters heat water only as it is used, or on demand. A tankless unit has a heating device that is activated by the flow of water when a hot water valve is opened. Once activated, the heater delivers a constant supply of hot water. The output of the heater, however, limits the rate of the heated water flow.
Demand water heaters are available in propane (LP), natural gas, or electric models. They come in a variety of sizes for different applications, such as a whole-house water heater, a hot water source for a remote bathroom or hot tub, or as a boiler to provide hot water for a home heating system. They can also be used as a booster for dishwashers, washing machines, and a solar or wood-fired domestic hot water system.
Demand water heaters cost more than conventional storage tank-type units.
The appeal of demand water heaters is not only the elimination of the tank standby losses and the resulting lower operating costs, but also the fact that the heater delivers hot water continuously. Gas models with a standing (constantly burning) pilot light, however, offset some of the savings achieved by the elimination of tank standby losses with the energy consumed by the pilot light.
An alternative to the standing pilot light is an intermittent ignition device (IID). This resembles the spark ignition device on some gas kitchen ranges and ovens. Not all demand water heaters have this electrical device.
Most tankless models have a life expectancy of more than 20 years. In contrast, storage tank water heaters last 10 to 15 years. Most tankless models have easily replaceable parts that can extend their life by many years more.


I've yet to come across one of these units but it's my understanding there are some cons with this system. From what I've read these units do not provide instantaneous hot water so you have to let the water run longer to achieve the desired temperature thus waisting water and energy. The other downside I read about is these systems are limited in the amount of hot water they can produce at one time. Both of these drawbacks can be corrected using a specialized pump.
Despite those limitations I think this is a great alternative to the bigger, shorter life span units they replace.