It can be difficult to decide on new appliances. Whether it’s a dishwasher, refrigerator, or dryer, there are multiple options to choose from and multiple things to consider. Compare water heaters to find the more efficient solution for you!
Tankless Water Heaters
Tankless water heaters heat your home’s water without using a storage tank. To provide hot water, cold water travels through the pipes into the unit. Either an electric element or gas burner heats the water as it flows. Because of this, tankless water heaters can supply a constant supply of hot water, and you won’t need to wait for a full storage tank of hot water. On the downside, some styles of tankless water heaters can limit flow rates. As the technology advances, however, these systems are able to be more efficient and provide even better results.
Additionally, tankless water heaters do not need to run at all times in order to provide your home with hot water. This helps to save additional energy! A home expert at Orbit will be able to help you compare tankless units to find an efficient system to provide hot water for your home.
Conventional Water Heaters
Conventional tank-type water heaters are the most common. They use gas or electricity to heat water within the tank. Gas water heaters are more expensive than electric heaters, but end up costing less to operate since gas is less expensive than electricity. Electric heaters however, are more efficient than gas and they have higher energy-factor ratings.
The tank-type heater has an insulated storage tank, which holds hot water until its ready to use. Heated water is pumped from the top of the tank. When the water levels begin to drop in the tank, the tank refills with cold water from the bottom. The tank then works to begin heating the new water.
The downside of tank-type heaters is they can only hold a limited supply of hot water, and might have issues with supplying enough hot water if multiple people are using it. Tank-type heaters also burn energy all day and night to keep the water temperature hot, regardless of being used or not. Standby heat loss causes conventional water heaters to use more energy.
So, which is better?
There are positive aspects to both types of units! Your decision will ultimately come down to energy efficiency, cost, and the ability to heat enough water for your needs. Different size systems will also have an effect on the outcome of this decision! Compare water heaters with an expert to see which type of unit will be most beneficial to Learn more about water heaters or get a quote for your home from the experts at Orbit!
