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Tankless Water Heaters Can Lower Your Water Heating Bills...Energy in whatever form (gas, oil or electrical) is far too expensive. A lot of energy is used when heating water and most of this energy is wasted in hot water storage tank heaters. An understanding of the various water heaters available will help you lower your hot water energy heating costs What are tankless water heaters and storage water heatersFind out the differences between tankless hot water heaters and hot water storage tank heaters to help you make informed decision regarding the water heater you will need to efficiently and effectively heat your water. Making the right choice will save you time and money A hot water storage tank heater uses energy to heat the water in it's tank. Storage and tankless heaters are very similar in the way they heat water. The two systems have similar energy consumptions levels. The amount of energy needed to heat a certain amount of water is determined by an easy formula. Interesting Read : Heating Swimming Your Pool With Solar Energy Heaters... The two systems however have difference in the overall energy efficiency. A tankless water heater does not use as much energy as the storage water heaters. To lower these losses, tank storage water heaters must always be insulated correctly. Insulation does not stop the heat loss.. it just lowers it. 1 1/2 inches of foam insulation is will do the job. How much energy is lost during standby?The fundamental questions asked by most consumers are
It is very important to be able to compare cost and energy savings between tankless and hot water storage tank systems. The table below compares the energy costs, unit size, installation cost, installation space and capacity of the 2 systems. Detailed information regarding the two systems can be found in the web site.
What is the energy factor for tankless hot water systems?All tankless or storage tank heaters carry a certified Energy Factor. The Energy Factor in simple terms means that if the Energy Factor is high then the annual cost of power to run the tanklless hot water heater or the storage heater will be lower than it would be if the Energy Factor was low. Gas tankless water heaters have an Energy Factors that ranges between 0.64 and 0.82 The First Hour Rating is the amount of hot water the heater can supply in an hour. If you are using a storage tank system then this means that the tank will be full of hot water at the beginning of the first hour. Heating Energy is simply the energy needed just to heat the hot water. Standby Energy is the energy that will be lost based upon a tank full of hot water just standing there unused and in this state it will lose some heat depending upon how well insulated the system's storage tank is. The water tends to cool down and more energy will then be needed to bring the temperature back to that required. The average U.S. home will use a 40 gallons gas fired hot water storage heater. These hot water heaters will have Energy Factors ranging from 0.54 to 0.64. The Average Gas Energy Cost is equal to 0.6 $/therm in the United States. Electricity Energy Cost in America is $0.06 per kiloWatt Hour. The Hot Water usage rate varies a great deal based upon the family size and time of day. The correct heater should be designed on basis of maximum hot water heating load. In other words what amount of hot water is needed at busiest time of day. More on tankless hot water heaters and their features "Water heating accounts for 20% or more of an average household's annual energy expenditures..."The yearly operating costs for ordinary gas and electric storage tank water heaters are $200 or $450 respectively in the US. You can lower this expenditure by using an on demand or an instantaneous hot water heater. On demand water heaters are very popular in Japan and Europe. They entered the United States market 25 years ago. Tankless water heaters differ from the ordinary storage tank water heaters, in that tankless heaters only heat water only as it is used, or on demand. This means that as soon as the tap is opened the heater switches on and the water boils up. Tankless water heaters have very high heat rates. When the tankless heater is switched on, the heater is able to supply a constant supply of hot water unless too much hot water is demanded in which case the unit may lower the temperature or flow rate or both ... remember the heater can only deliver a certain amount of energy Tankless water heaters come in different sizes for various 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. The heaters can be used as a booster for dishwashers, washing machines, and a solar or wood-fired domestic hot water system. You can install a demand water heater on a single location or at the point of use, depending on the amount of hot water demanded. Low-flow shower heads and water-conserving faucets are a good idea with demand water heaters. Demand water heaters cost far much more when compared to conventional storage tank-type units. What is the life expectancy of tankless water heatersThe majority of tankless models have a life expectancy of over 20 years. Storage tank water heaters last between 10 to 15 years. Most tankless water heater models have easily replaceable parts and thus result in a higher life expectancy. Electricity costs by state in cents per kWatt-hour in 2003 ref DOE
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