The Pros & Cons of Tankless Water Heaters

Tankless water heaters are all the rage in home improvement lately. Homeowners rave about the improved energy efficiency, abundance of hot water, and low-profile design that tankless water heaters provide. But are tankless water heaters really worth all the hype? Or do they miss the mark in terms of saving money? Read on to find out!

The Pros of Tankless Water Heaters

There are many benefits tankless hot water heaters provide, including:

• Energy efficiency – Traditional hot water heaters are only 60% energy efficient. That means about 60% of the energy used to heat your water is converted into heat while the rest of the energy goes to waste. Tankless water heaters are up to 94% energy efficient. So, if you install a tankless electric or tankless gas water heater in your home, you may see a drop in your energy bills.
• Clean hot water – With a traditional tank water heater, scale (mineral deposits) and rust will build up over time. That scale and rust will find their way into your hot water, leaving you, your dishes, and your clothes less than squeaky clean. Since a tankless water heater doesn’t store water, you can avoid the rust and scale buildup.
• Hot water on demand – With a tankless hot water heater, you get an endless supply of hot water whenever you need it. Depending on the size of your tankless water heater, you may even be able to take a shower while the dishwasher is running.
• Nearly miniaturized design – Compared to tank water heaters, tankless water heaters are tiny. You can install them almost anywhere inside or outside your home.
• Longevity and strength – Tankless water heaters are designed to last 20 years or more. Traditional water heaters start showing their age at 10 years and rarely last more than 15.

The Cons of Tankless Water Heaters

While tankless water heaters offer many benefits over traditional tank water heaters, there are also a number of drawbacks to tankless water heaters, including:

• Possible temperature fluctuations – There’s a limit to how much water a tankless water heater can heat at any given time. If you’re trying to run the dishwasher, wash a load of laundry, and take a shower, you may experience a wide variety of temperatures.
• No hot water during power outages – Both tankless electric and tankless gas water heaters need electricity to operate. If your power goes out, and you don’t have a standby generator, you won’t have any hot water. With a traditional water heater, you’d have 50 to 60 gallons of hot water at your disposal for about a day or two.
• Higher up-front costs –  The average storage water heater costs less than a tankless water heater. Generally, both electric and natural gas or propane tankless water heaters have higher price points; however, energy savings can possibly offset these costs.
• Potentially higher water bill – The upside to tankless water heaters is that you have an endless supply of hot water. The downside to tankless water heaters is that you have an endless supply of hot water. Knowing this, you may take longer showers when you don’t have to worry about running out of hot water. If you give in to that urge, your water bill may increase, nullifying any savings on your energy bill.

Partner With Tri-State Water, Power & Air for Your Tankless Water Heater

At Tri-State Water, Power & Air, we firmly believe that tankless water heaters can benefit just about any household. With hot water on-demand, there’s no more waiting an hour for hot water to build back up after someone else takes a shower, no more letting dirty dishes pile up because the washing machine is running, and no more letting the water run until it eventually gets hot. Tankless water heaters are winners in our eyes.