Electric tankless water heaters are now one of the most important tools to create an energy-efficient home. Many people started upgrading their standard water heaters to tankless ones because of the many benefits. However, just like any product, electric tankless water heaters have some downsides that every user should be aware of. There’s no doubt that they have many advantages over the standard heaters, but they are not suitable for everyone. So before you go ahead and purchase your first tankless boiler, you need to learn its advantages and disadvantages to ensure that it’s the right choice for your house. Here are the pros and cons of getting an electric tankless water heater.
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What Are They?
Tankless Water heaters, also known as Instant heaters or on-demand heaters, are gaining more popularity these days. Homeowners are starting to upgrade their traditional water heater because these new appliances deliver hot water on demand and they don’t require any tank. When you turn on the hot tap, the water will travel through the pipes and reach the unit, the heater then will start heating the water with an electric coil and deliver it to your tap. As a result, you will always have a constant supply of hot water without the need to wait until the tank is full.
Pros
Lower energy bills
Traditional heaters gather around 40 to 50 gallons of water and reheat it constantly to maintain its temperature. They reheat the water when the heat dissipates over time, which makes the tank-style heater consume energy every time it needs to re-heat. No matter how well your standard tank is isolated, it will not be able to keep the water hot if not used.
On the flipside, tankless heaters provide hot water on demand, which means that there will be no heat loss as the unit will only supply the amount that you need. This automatically saves you a lot of money on energy bills. The folks at waterheaterleakinginfo.com/ecosmart-27 claim that instant heaters can be more energy efficient by 8% to 50% than standard water heaters. Tankless heaters will be 30% more efficient if you use an average of 40 gallons of hot water a day, and will only be 14% more efficient if you’re using 86 gallons per day.
Constant Heat
One of the important advantages of tankless water heaters is that there’s no wait time for hot water. You no longer need to wait for the heater to fill up or worry whether there’s enough water for your shower or not. You can also take as long as you want in the shower, even for more than 5 hours, without worrying about the heater’s capacity.
Lower Risk
Traditional water heaters can build-up minerals from hard water over time, which damages the tank and causes leakage that sometimes floods the entire room. Although on-demand heaters are not free from this risk, the chances of water leakage are very low. Instant heaters may have a problem that results in leakage; however, the problem will never escalate or be enough to flood the room. You will be able to easily detect and fix the problem right away.
Small Size
Tankless water heaters are so small and so you can hide them under the countertop. Installers usually place them on a wall where they can’t be seen, but you can still place them anywhere you want. For those who have small homes, this advantage will save a lot of space.
Cons
High Upfront Cost
The main disadvantage of tankless water heaters is that they are more expensive than standard ones. Instant heaters need special wiring and professionals who are familiar with this brand. They have been around for only a couple of years and there aren’t many people familiar with its installation process and requirements. In some cases, the manufacturer will demand a water softening system before installing the water heater because the high level of minerals found in hard water can damage the electric tankless heaters. All of these requirements are making the cost of getting an instant heater way more than getting a traditional water heater.
Power Outages
Because an electric water heater only heats on demand, there will be no hot water in case of power outages. This can be a great disadvantage if you regularly experience power outages in your area. However, if they’re not common or last for only a few minutes, there’s no need to worry.
Electric water heaters have many advantages, and the only main disadvantage is the high cost that you pay upfront to install them. However, if you calculate how much money you spend on energy bills because of your boiler versus what you’ll be paying after getting a tankless water heater, you will find that tankless heaters are less expensive and will save you a lot of money in the long term. Instant heaters also have a longer lifespan, which means that you will not need to change them as often as having a tank-style water heater.