Tankless water heaters have long been a popular household solution across Europe, and in recent years they are becoming increasingly common in homes across the US and Canada. Our plumbing company in Fairfax offers repair and installation on a range of tankless water heaters, but how exactly do they work and what are the benefits? Read on for all you need to know about tankless water heaters.

How do they work?

A tankless water heater is a household water heating solution that works by heating water directly, meaning there’s no need to store the hot water in a tank.

The process is simple and efficient, which is part of the reason why tankless systems have become increasingly popular in recent years. When you turn on the hot faucet in your home, the water supply will flow via the tankless heater unit. The flowing water is then heated with either gas or electric, before it flows out of your faucet perfectly heated.

Furthermore, tankless water heaters can heat water impressively quickly, providing up to 5 gallons of hot water per minute. Larger households sometimes opt for more than one tankless water heater, as it means they will have plenty of hot water for multiple showers, baths, clothes washing and more.

What are the benefits of tankless water heaters?

Cost efficient 

Tankless water heaters can help you significantly reduce your household bills. This is due to the fact that less energy is being used to heat the water, and water is only heated when you turn the faucet. As you no longer have the costs of keeping gallons of water hot in the tank, you will inevitably save money. In fact, a family’s water-heating bills could be reduced by up to 30%. If your household uses a lot of hot water, a tankless water heater offers attractive savings.

A continuous supply

Furthermore, households that use large amounts of hot water will be pleased to hear that with a tankless water heater there’s no running out of hot water, you’ll have a continuous supply.

Energy efficient

Another advantage is that less energy is wasted. Of course, the amount of energy wastage depends on whether you opt for a gas-powered or electric tankless water heater. However, whichever you choose you will still be wasting less energy, while also enjoying added convenience!

Space-saving

Tankless water heaters are incredibly compact and can even be mounted on your wall! Compared to a huge water tank, this is a desirably space-saving solution.

What are the different types? 

When it comes to your tankless water heater, you have two key choices:

• Electric
• Gas

Both types do the same thing, they simply heat your water with a different source of power. The choice between the two may come down to whether your household is predominantly powered by electric or gas, or you may want to choose the one that sounds most convenient to you.

Energy.gov has noted that gas-powered tankless water heaters have a higher flow rate than electric, meaning they can produce more gallons of hot water per minute. While they found electric tankless water heaters to be more energy efficient.

Although electric models are more energy efficient, this doesn’t necessarily mean they are cheaper to run. Generally, electric tankless water heaters require a lot of electricity to run, which usually makes gas the more cost-efficient option.

Which size is best for you?

Due to the fact that this water heating system is tankless, size is not measured in capacity. However, you should pay attention to the flow of each model. The higher the flow means the more hot water that will be produced per minute.

If you are a larger household that will be likely to need more than one hot faucet running at once – you will want to opt for a higher flow, usually signified by a higher gallon-per-minute.

Overall, as homeowners become increasingly conscious of energy-saving, money-saving and space-saving, tankless water heating systems are becoming a widely popular solution that seems to tick all their boxes. If you are curious about how this type of system could benefit you, or are looking for plumbing services to fit a new system, Doherty Plumbing is always happy to help.