If you’re looking to save money on your energy bills, you might consider a tankless water heater. Not only are these “demand” systems up to 38 percent more efficient than regular storage-tank water heaters, they also heat your water much faster, not to mention being more space-efficient. But in order to make sure you’re getting the most out of your tankless water heater, here are six factors you should keep in mind:
- Minimum flow rate. Flow rate is how much water each water outlet uses, in gallons per minute. Tankless water heaters require a minimum flow rate to operate, and a faucet flowing lower than the minimum won’t heat. Make sure each outlet’s individual flow rate is higher than your heater’s minimum.
- Correct sizing. Make sure your tankless water heater set-up can handle your hot water needs adequately. Get one or more tankless units with a combined flow rate that can service as many hot water outlets as you plan to use at one time (shower, dishwasher, etc.), and a standard temperature rise of 70 degrees (which heats cold tap water from 50 to 120 degrees) at that flow rate.
- Pre-heating systems. A tankless water heater provides hot water much faster than a regular one, but it’s still not instantaneous. Cold water often sneaks in before the heating sensors activate. There are systems to offset this, however, such as solar heating or drainwater heat recovery.
- Point-of-use heaters. In a whole-house tankless system, hot water still needs to flow from the heater to the outlet. The farther they are apart, the more cold water is wasted in the meantime. Point-of-use heaters can be installed at individual outlets, allowing the hot water to reach you sooner. In a larger home, you’ll likely need one or more point-of-use tankless units to complement the main water heater anyway.
- Ventilation. Where there’s gas heat, there’s exhaust. If your gas-fueled tankless water heater isn’t properly ventilated, carbon monoxide can leak into your home. Get a sealed-combustion, direct-vent water heater to prevent this. (Some tankless units use an electric heating element rather than gas, in which case CO leaking wouldn’t be a concern.)
- Professional installation. It’s important to make sure your heater is properly integrated into your existing plumbing, gas and electrical systems. Hire an experienced plumbing contractor to make sure you get a quality installation.
For more home comfort advice, contact our experts at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning. We’ve proudly served Oberlin’s HVAC needs for over 50 years.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Lorain, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about tankless water heaters and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area