| Traditional Tank Style Water Heaters | | | | practical and efficient in certain situations. Such as |
| First, let's take a look at the traditional tank style | | | | where hot water is needed only occasionally or |
| heaters. They use less energy to heat a gallon of | | | | where a fixture is at a considerable distance from |
| water than the tankless, on demand units. | | | | a traditional storage tank water heater, such as in |
| However, they must then keep that water hot | | | | a guest house or pool house. They can also be |
| until you are ready to use it. | | | | handy if you are adding a water heater to a |
| These units can be quite efficient if the tank and | | | | structure that has been cold-water-only and the |
| the hot water pipes are properly insulated. The | | | | cost or inconvenience of adding a complete hot |
| most common way to insulate them is to use a | | | | water piping system will be prohibitive. |
| 'blanket' sold at most home improvement stores. | | | | These units have a life expectancy of about 20 |
| Of course they are not regular blankets. Just ask | | | | years. |
| at your home improvement store. They will know | | | | Accounting for installation cost and energy use, |
| what you need. | | | | the American Council for an Energy-Efficient |
| Another factor to consider is the length of time | | | | Economy determined that the total cost for |
| that the hot water sits in the tank unused. If your | | | | on-demand water heaters is less than for |
| family is gone all day then the water heater uses | | | | standard water heaters over a 13-year period. |
| energy all day to keep the water warm while | | | | So, if you can afford the up front cost and your |
| nobody is using it. | | | | water usage is more in alignment with the |
| These units have a life expectancy of about 13 | | | | tankless heater this may be the way to go. |
| years. | | | | Again, this decision should be based on each |
| On Demand Water Heaters | | | | individual situation. If you can't decide you may |
| In practice, the on demand systems require a | | | | want to ask your plumber about it. |
| good deal more energy to heat a gallon of water | | | | Estimated cost for a tank heater is about $380 |
| than a conventional heater and they sometimes | | | | to $700 plus installation. |
| cannot provide enough hot water for multiple | | | | Expected cost for a new on-demand unit $360 to |
| fixtures to be used at the same time. | | | | $1,800 plus installation. |
| The on demand water heaters can be very | | | | |