Information On Selecting a Water Heater
Author: Ariel Ware |
Heating up water uses almost as much energy as keeping our homes climate controlled. Sure, everyone enjoys a hot, soothing shower. But an increase in energy costs, plus the high environmental impact of generating electricity or extracting fossil fuels, has cause many people to think about replacing their old unit. There are lots more options available in hot water heaters on the market today. Let's take a look at some of them.
Heating up water uses almost as much energy as keeping our homes climate controlled. Sure, everyone enjoys a hot, soothing shower. But an increase in energy costs, plus the high environmental impact of generating electricity or extracting fossil fuels, has cause many people to think about replacing their old unit. There are lots more options available in hot water heaters on the market today. Let's take a look at some of them.
The Three Main Types Of Water Heaters
What sort of water heater do you want? The most common form of water heater is the standard storage tank, which most people are already familiar with. They are a simple tank filled with water that is kept constantly heated with either electricity, oil, natural gas or propane. When you go to use hot water from the tap, the hot water you remove from the tank is replaced with cold water which will then be heated in the tank.
Then there are the new tankless water heaters. These are also known as on demand hot water heaters, or even instantaneous heaters. Rather than keep a ready tank of heated water, this water heater warms the water as it moves through the unit. There is no stored water so the amount of warm water it can produce is more limited.
Solar hot water heaters are like storage style, but use a different heating mechanism. The water is circulated through a solar collector that heats it using the energy from the sun. If there is not enough heat to keep the water warm, a conventional backup heater will be used to produce hot water.
The Best Water Heater
The best water heater is the one that meets all of your hot water needs. Before you buy, decide upon a budget and how much you want to pay; consider not only the price of the unit but installation, how the new water heater will effect your monthly bills, and whether or not you can find the unit you want.
Storage tank water heaters are not only affordable, but are easily available and waste less than twenty percent of their energy. If you tend to use a great deal of hot water this might work for you, and they are durable. For anywhere from two to four hundred dollars you can have a storage tank system with an efficiency rating of .67.
On the other hand, tankless water heaters can be more difficult to find, but don't take up as much space. There is very little, if any, loss of heat and they use less energy by a third when compared with a tank system with a similar capacity. They do not provide as much hot water and can be more expensive. For a good tankless heater with an efficiency rating of .75, expect to pay between six hundred to a thousand dollar for a unit that can last you for twenty years.
Solar water heaters are the cheapest to run, but you have to have good sun exposure. The price of a solar water heater and installation can cost between two to seven thousand dollars, but they last over twenty years if properly maintained. If you like using a lot of hot water, however, you may want a cheaper hot water heater for backup.
Heating up water uses almost as much energy as keeping our homes climate controlled. Sure, everyone enjoys a hot, soothing shower. But an increase in energy costs, plus the high environmental impact of generating electricity or extracting fossil fuels, has cause many people to think about replacing their old unit. There are lots more options available in hot water heaters on the market today. Let's take a look at some of them.
The Three Main Types Of Water Heaters
What sort of water heater do you want? The most common form of water heater is the standard storage tank, which most people are already familiar with. They are a simple tank filled with water that is kept constantly heated with either electricity, oil, natural gas or propane. When you go to use hot water from the tap, the hot water you remove from the tank is replaced with cold water which will then be heated in the tank.
Then there are the new tankless water heaters. These are also known as on demand hot water heaters, or even instantaneous heaters. Rather than keep a ready tank of heated water, this water heater warms the water as it moves through the unit. There is no stored water so the amount of warm water it can produce is more limited.
Solar hot water heaters are like storage style, but use a different heating mechanism. The water is circulated through a solar collector that heats it using the energy from the sun. If there is not enough heat to keep the water warm, a conventional backup heater will be used to produce hot water.
The Best Water Heater
The best water heater is the one that meets all of your hot water needs. Before you buy, decide upon a budget and how much you want to pay; consider not only the price of the unit but installation, how the new water heater will effect your monthly bills, and whether or not you can find the unit you want.
Storage tank water heaters are not only affordable, but are easily available and waste less than twenty percent of their energy. If you tend to use a great deal of hot water this might work for you, and they are durable. For anywhere from two to four hundred dollars you can have a storage tank system with an efficiency rating of .67.
On the other hand, tankless water heaters can be more difficult to find, but don't take up as much space. There is very little, if any, loss of heat and they use less energy by a third when compared with a tank system with a similar capacity. They do not provide as much hot water and can be more expensive. For a good tankless heater with an efficiency rating of .75, expect to pay between six hundred to a thousand dollar for a unit that can last you for twenty years.
Solar water heaters are the cheapest to run, but you have to have good sun exposure. The price of a solar water heater and installation can cost between two to seven thousand dollars, but they last over twenty years if properly maintained. If you like using a lot of hot water, however, you may want a cheaper hot water heater for backup.
About the Author:
If you live in a cold climate like Minnesota and your water heater breaks down, it can be very frightening thing. Know what your choices are. There are some great sites online to help you find the best solution. water heater minneapolis is a very informative one.