The Number of People in Your Household

You must consider the number of people living in your home when determining if a tankless hot water heater is a good idea. If you have a larger household and frequently run out of hot water in the morning with everyone showering, a tankless model will be best. That is because a traditional tank model can only produce so much hot water at once. When the tank runs out, there will be a period when the tank isn't able to keep up with the demand.

A tankless hot water heater will be able to heat the water on demand. You'll never run out of hot water when you have multiple people showering in a row every morning.

The Number of Bathrooms

The number of bathrooms you have will determine if it is best to get a tankless hot water heater, even if you have a big household. Tankless models are good at producing hot water on demand, but they can only produce so much for simultaneous demand. If you have three bathrooms in your home and everyone needs to shower at the same time each morning, you may find that a tankless model will not keep up with demand. A larger, traditional hot water heater will work better because it stores the water until it is ready to use. A tankless hot water heater works great when you have a home with only one or two bathrooms. The appliance will easily be able to keep up with your hot water demands each morning.

The Location

In some homes, the water heater is located in a basement or garage so that it is out of the way. Other homes do not have many options for where the water heater goes, which can mean it’s installed in a closet. A large hot water heater will take up a lot of space in a closet, which is valuable storage space. Switching to a tankless hot water heater will allow you to reclaim your closet for actual storage. A tankless hot water heater can do that because the unit is quite small and can be wall mounted so that it is out of the way.

In addition, some homeowners take the opportunity to move their hot water heater to a new location. This is often done when finishing a basement. The hot water heater can be moved to a place that is out of the way, such as in a small mechanical room with other appliances. There is no need to worry about having nearby access to your chimney for the tankless model to ventilate to the outside because tankless hot water heaters can be vented with a power vent. It allows a tankless model to be vented almost anywhere in your home.

The Energy Savings

Going green may be your biggest concern when selecting a new hot water heater. Tankless models are known to be much more energy-efficient because a traditional unit is wasting energy to keep a tank full of water hot for on-demand use. Tankless models can be as much as 34% more energy-efficient in households that are using 41 gallons of water each day. This can lead to big savings on your energy bills and is more environmentally friendly.

Reach out to Moody Plumbing Inc. for more information on tankless hot water heaters.