| Question: What
is a tankless water heater? |
| Answer:
Most people in North
America currently use a storage tank water heater to
provide hot water in their homes. A storage tank water
heater keeps water hot 24 hours a day, even while you’re
at work or sleeping. A tankless water heater, on the
other hand, does not store hot water. It heats the water
as you use it. |
|
| Question: How
can a tankless water heater heat water instantly? |
| Answer: When
you open a faucet, the flow of the water triggers the
heater to turn on. Whether you use gas or electricity,
the powerful gas burners or electrical elements will
turn on, rapidly heating the water as it passes through
the unit. The water is heated instantly, and the time it
takes to obtain hot water is directly related to the
distance the hot water has to travel from the water
heater to where hot water is being used. The burners or
elements then shut down when you shut off the hot water.
The energy that is consumed is only for the hot water
that is being used. |
|
| Question: What
are the advantages of using a tankless water heater? |
| Answer: Because
a tankless water heater turns on when you open a hot
water faucet and turns off when you close the faucet,
the energy that is consumed is only for the hot water
that is being used. Since there is no storage of water,
and thus no constant heating and re-heating of stored
water, you’re not wasting energy heating water when you
don’t need it, such as when you’re sleeping or not at
home. This energy savings translates to dollar savings
for you and reduced impact on our environment.
Furthermore, since a tankless water heater heats the
water as you use it, you can have an endless supply of
hot water, provided you size the unit appropriately (see
our Product Selector to find the right model). |
|
| Question: How
much money can I save? |
| Answer:
Depending on which model of tankless water heater you
purchase, and what size storage tank you have now, and
if it runs on gas or electricity, you could save
anywhere from 5% to 69% off your hot water heating bill.
How? Most homes use hot water for a cumulative total of
about one hour per day, yet they typically keep 40 or 50
gallons (oftentimes more) of water hot 24 hours a day.
Having a system that eliminates the storage and heats
water only as you use it can dramatically reduce your
energy consumption. |
|
| Question: Can
it really provide an endless supply of hot water? |
| Answer: Yes.
Because storage tank water heaters store a finite amount
of water, when that amount is used up your shower goes
cold and you have to wait for the heater to heat the
water back up (this is known as recovery time). Because
a tankless water heater heats the water as it passes
through the heater, you can never run out, provided flow
limitations are not exceeded (see our Product Selector
to find the right model for you). |
|
| Question: Are
there other benefits of a tankless water heater? |
| Answer: There
are many advantages of having a tankless water heater in
your home. Besides the money savings, endless hot water
and smaller impact on the environment, a tankless water
heater: |
|
| Question: Will
I still get the hot shower I’m used to now? |
| Answer: Yes,
provided you buy the right tankless heater for you (see
our Product Selector to find the right model). Tankless
water heaters are able to function at a variety of
temperatures that you can choose, and can produce hot
water at the same flow rate as your standard
single-headed shower provides now. |
|
