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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