Is a Tankless Water Heater Right for Your Home?

Posted: July 3, 2023

Getting Your Hot Water on Demand

A tankless water heating system eliminates the standby energy losses that occur in storage-tank systems because this type of unit only heats water on demand. Here’s how it works.

When you turn on your hot water faucets or an appliance like a dishwasher, water is circulated through the tankless unit’s heat exchanger and delivered on-demand. Your energy efficiency will improve up to 40% and you’ll have access to a virtually unlimited supply of hot water. You won’t have to worry anymore about your hot water tank draining and having to refill and reheat. You can look forward to plenty of long, hot showers after we install a propane tankless water heater for you!

And while it’s true that a tankless propane water heater has a higher upfront cost than a traditional storage-tank water heater, you can save a lot of money on your water heating bills. Those savings will add up as the years go by.

Five Fast Facts about Propane Tankless Water Heaters

1. A tankless water heater can average a flow rate of about 222 gallons per hour, more than three times the delivery rate of a standard 50-gallon electric storage-tank water heater (62 gallons in the first hour).
2. On average, propane tankless units save about $150 per year in energy costs compared with typical electric storage water heaters.
3. They generate 50-60% lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions compared with electric water storage tank systems.
4. Most tankless units hang on a wall and are about the size of a small suitcase.
5. With proper maintenance, you can expect them to last about twice as long as a standard storage-tank water heater.

Finding the Proper Size Tankless Water Heater

There are two key factors that need to be considered when sizing a tankless water heater:

1. Flow Rate: This is how much hot water you will need at any given time
2. Temperature Rise: This is the difference between the incoming cold-water temperature and the desired temperature

You will need a water heater professional like us to figure out which fixtures you plan to operate simultaneously and how much hot water each will use.

So, depending on key factors like how many tubs and showers you have, how often you’re running appliances like a washing machine or dishwasher, and how many of these would be in use at once, you can customize your tankless water heater to suit your needs. Our tankless water heater experts can help you with these calculations so you can choose a tankless system that will always deliver all of the hot water you need.

As you consider your requirements, or if you need some help figuring out what’s most important, get in touch with us. We’ll walk you through the process and help you get a better understanding of your household’s hot water needs.

And please check out our Specials page to see how you can save money right now on your purchase of a Rinnai tankless water heater.

You can learn more about the pros and cons of a tankless unit if you’re considering a water heater replacement. You can also read about a water heater installation for your Delaware Valley home.

Please contact us to request a free estimate.