Next to your northwest Indiana home’s heating and cooling system, the one appliance responsible for the most energy consumption is your water heater. A traditional storage water heater loses nearly three quarters of the energy it consumes via standby losses. Because these types of heaters are designed to continually keep 40 to 80 gallons of water up to a set temperature, regardless of whether any hot water is needed, standby losses can be significant. This is a chief advantage of installing a tankless water heater.
Unlike a water heater with a tank, tankless water heaters experience no standby losses. Also called on-demand units, they simply heat water as it’s required, running it over internal heating elements or gas burners until the set temperature is reached. Without suffering from the associated standby losses, these units are significantly more energy efficient.
Another advantage of installing a tankless water heater is that you have the option of choosing a whole-house system that supplies all the hot water outlets in your home or a point-of-use unit, which heats water for a single outlet. These point-of-use systems are typically installed in bathrooms and kitchens and can be quite compact.
A third advantage of installing a tankless water heater is its durability, longevity and low maintenance requirements. The impurities contained in most household water are detrimental to storage tank heaters, as the water sits there continually, causing rust, corrosion and sediment buildup. This isn’t a problem with tankless water heaters. While a storage tank system requires regular maintenance and has an estimated life expectancy of 10 to 12 years, a tankless system will typically last for more than 20 years. The tankless system may be more expensive to purchase, but its energy savings and increased longevity can more than pay back this additional cost.
Meyer’s Inc. has been serving homeowners in northwest Indiana and southern Chicagoland for more than 60 years. In addition to heating and cooling systems, we provide full plumbing services. We welcome you to contact us for advice and information, any new systems and maintenance.