Our current water heater is not quite sufficient for my husband & me, and is nearing the end of it’s life. We became interested in a "tankless" (on-demand) water heating system – which heats water only when you turn the hot water spiggot on. Our primary concern at this point, if it saves as much and can work as well as is advertised (I know – don’t believe advertisements, at least not completely), is the initial cost of one. Supposedly, it will pay for itself within the first year or so of use & the savings in utilities… I was wanting to know what other people’s personal experiences with these systems are…
So I was wondering if you have one, how do you like it?
Is it efficient for your uses?
Have you noticed a significant difference (for the better, I hope) in your utility bills since it’s installation?
What brand system are you using?
Has it paid for itself in the long-run for you personally?
Any personal experiences with this ‘on-demand’ or ‘tankless’ water heating system would be greatly appreciated!
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
A tankless WILL NOT pay for itself based on 1st year energy savings. Not even close. Consumer Reports did a study of this and you can see the results in their Ooctober 08 isssue. There are some savings, yes, but these systems can be expensive to install and that’s why it takes so long to recoup the costs (if you ever do). There are other good reasons to install these systems, however, including the "unlimited" amount of hot water that can get out of one; if you have a large soaking bathtub, for example, a tankless heater can fill it as hot as you want (I could never accomplish that with the standard tank at a condo I once rented). Here are some more thoughts on tankless:
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/asktoh/question/0,,213064,00.html
Bear in mind that this techology is evolving, and as the units become more available they may come down in price.
People I have spoken to that have them and use them hate them.
Over the past few years these things looked like they were going to be an incredible energy saver. It’s turning out to not be the case.
Often, to get the amount of water most families would need, you have to get one that is powered by LPG or natural gas. This fuel is expensive, especially if you use the fuel only for cooking and hot water. Here in NH you pay a 200% premium for low-use applications (hot water & cooking) than if it is your primary heat source.
I helped a friend install one and it works well. It is more efficient than what he had (a huge, very old, oil fired boiler designed to heat the whole house, but he used it only for hot water) so his case is a bad example.
Also, he has to wait for the heater to turn on, it’s a real pain sometimes.
Another problem is when two people take showers a few minutes apart. You will have hot water in the line, but the on-demand heater is off and takes several seconds to turn on again. During that time there is several seconds of cold water running out the shower.
The above two problems are, sometimes, so bad that people (who have on-demand hot water heaters installed) will, after several months, have an electric water heater installed and just use the on-demand heater to pre-heat the water before it goes into the electric heater.
What kind of shape is your home’s primary heat source in? Could you get an oil fired boiler and use that for domestic hot water also?
Regardless of the type of water heater you now have I would recommend a new, efficient, inexpensive electric hot water heater. I would also add an insulating jacket to it.
Hope this helps!