Tankless Water Heater Vs Tank 2014

If a customer is looking to eliminate the footprint of a storage tank entirely a tankless water heater may be their best option.

Tankless water heater vs tank 2014.

Department of energy tankless water heaters can be between 8 and 50 more energy efficient than tank style water heaters but the actual efficiency depends on the amount of hot water you use. Water heaters with tanks. In general a tankless water heater will cost about 2 3 times more than a tank water heater of similar quality. Tankless water heaters are as much as 34 more efficient thank tank models according to the energy department.

They can be 8 14 more energy efficient for homes that use a lot of hot water around 86 gallons per day. For homes that use 41 gallons or less of hot water daily demand water heaters can be 24 34 more energy efficient than conventional storage tank water heaters. These live an average of 10. Most notably a 40 gallon propane storage tank water heater can deliver the same amount of hot water as a 50 gallon electric model.

For most households they can produce a savings of 100 or more every year. The biggest pro of a tank water heater is the low cost. According to the u s. But if you re not going to be in your house for more than five years does it really matter.

Plus the larger electric tank will experience greater standby losses due to its greater surface area. While tankless water heaters run more efficiently than storage tank water heaters replacing a tank water heater with a tankless can be expensive and the payback time can be longer than the warranty. Since a tankless will last as much as two or three times longer than a tank heater you might need to install two tanks in the amount of time you have with one tankless. There s one key reason for that.

Here s the biggest knock against the tankless water heater. You re not constantly heating a tank in anticipation of needing it you only use energy when you use hot water. Tankless water heaters are more compact and can heat up water as you use it. According to energy research done by energy gov if you are using a 40 gallon tank of hot water or less your energy demand is typically less than 50 percent with a tankless water heater compared to a water heater tank.

One of the first things to consider is whether you should get a tank or tankless water heater.