Electric Tankless Water Heaters

Electric Tankless Water Heaters - Will They Save You Money?

Electric Tankless Water Heaters

My sister does not have gas service , so I investigated the available electric tankless heaters. If you have 4 teenagers and 2 working adults, it is possible you will pay more to heat the water with a tank less heater than if you have a standard water heater.

This is especially true if you live in colder climates or your water comes from a deep well. General physics will tell you that it takes 1000 watts to raise 4.1 gallons of water 100 degrees. Based on this, if you are importing water at 40 degrees, then it will take 10,000 watts to raise 40 gallons (typical size of standard water heater) of water to a standard storage temperature of 140 degrees. At a KWh price of 10 cents, the cost to heat that water was $ 1.00. 

You see, when your standard tank is full it reduces the energy needed to heat the incoming water as the incoming water will absorb some of the heat from the already hot water somewhat reducing the input to raise the temperature of the water. In a tankless there is no stored hot water so the electricity required to heat the water is expended on a direct ratio. In testing the range of saving comparing tankless to standard water heaters has fallen in the range of 10-40 percent (the higher ranges being on gas fired devices).

Are Electric Tankless Water Heaters Right For You?

Homeowners have two basic options for installing an electric tankless water heater: Whole-House type installation and End point of use type installation.

Whole-Home Installation

The whole-house installation represents a situation where low cost water heaters provide water for an entire dwelling. Actually, a common practice in retrofit or home improvement situation is to disconnect the current water heater and install the tankless heater in the same location as the tank heater.

A pitfall to electric tankless heaters for water is undeniably limited by the capability of the house's ability to provide ample amount of power to properly operate the unit. Most homes are still limited to an electric tankless heater with a maximum hot water flow of 3 GPM due to the large power draw of the unit, even with the enhancement.

Because of this, gas tankless water heaters tend to be more appropriate for whole-home installations over electric tankless water heaters because gas tankless units can provide larger GPM than electric tankless models.

End Point-of-Use Installation

A homeowner that choosing to install a tankless water heater as a point of use may have several small units located at specific locations throughout the house. 

Electric Tankless Water Heaters - Important Considerations

Electric tankless water heaters are becoming more and more popular in North America thanks to their efficiency, low maintenance, reliability and of course, the promise of an unending supply of hot water. If you are considering installing an electric tankless water heater in your new home or replacing an existing conventional storage tank heater, here are a few important things to keep in mind when making your final decision.

Placement & Pipe Runs

Power Requirements

This is the single biggest consideration, especially if you're replacing an existing water heater in an older home. For example, the smallest model in the Stiebel Eltron Tempra line, the Tempra 15, requires a 60-amp circuit. Furthermore, the largest model, the Stiebel Eltron 36, requires three 60 amp circuits.

Installing a smaller water heater to reduce the power requirements is also a bad idea. Contact a licensed electrician to find out if your home's current electrical system can support a suitable electric water heater. 

Water pressure is something a lot of people don't think about, but it plays a very important role in the proper functioning of a tankless water heater. Make sure your home's water pressure is within the optimum range specified by the manufacturer of your water heater.

Go Electric - Tankless Water Heaters

Tankless water heaters are commonly referred to as on-demand heaters. Firstly, hot heaters for water with tanks are continuously heating the water in the reservoir and wasting energy. Secondly, heat is constantly being lost through the large surface area of the water tank. Tankless heaters can offer significant energy savings over the long haul.

How Do Tankless Water Heaters Work?

The core of a tankless heater is comprised of a heat exchanger. A heat exchanger works by transferring heat from one medium to another. When there is demand for hot water, a differential pressure switch is activated, which turns on the heating coils and instantaneously heats the cold incoming water. The Advantages of Going Tankless

One major advantage of tankless water heaters is that they never run out of hot water. Tankless heaters also last as much as 10 years longer than tank-based ones. A big negative of tankless units is that they can cost up to three times as much as traditional ones. Some tankless units cannot produce enough hot water for simultaneous appliance usage such as running the dishwasher and shower at the same time. Tankless water heaters also draw higher instantaneous power since they must heat water quickly, which may necessitate adding extra circuits and wiring during the installation process to handle the additional load capacity.

Typically, tankless water heaters will cost from $500 to $800 for an average unit that will heat enough water for an entire home.

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