Who doesn’t love a nice, hot shower in the middle of February in Oregon? It’s a sure way to warm up during the long winter months. What if we told you that your shower could be more efficient for your home and wallet? Enter: The tankless water heater.
Tankless Water Heaters
If you’ve never heard of a tankless water heater, you may have an image of a water heater as being a large object shoved into the dark recesses of your basement. While these traditional water heaters do the job just fine, they tend to waste energy by holding an entire tank of water at a certain temperature until it’s needed.
A tankless water heater, however, is a much smaller resident in your home. It allows water to flow freely through it, heating it as it goes. Because it doesn’t hold the water in a storage tank, it uses less energy than a traditional water heater, therefore putting money back into your wallet in the form of energy savings.
Pros and Cons of Tankless Water Heaters
Traditional water heaters require slightly less maintenance than the tankless model. However, they also tend to cause the much uncelebrated “cold shower” when someone else in the house starts the dishwasher at the same time you were enjoying your steamy morning ritual.
Tankless water heaters, on the other hand, have a large supply of hot water because they simply heat the water as it flows through the unit.
Installation of a tankless model may be a bigger investment because it requires a plumbing retrofit and may also require an upgrade to your gas and power lines. The energy savings adds up over time, however.
Folks residing in Oregon are lucky to have the pros over at Heat Relief, who are always ready to answer any questions regarding the switch from a traditional water heater to a tankless model. They can help you decide which option works best for your home. Show your home a little love this month and think about upgrading your water heater!