If you’re the last one in line for the shower, it can be a chilling experience with no hot water. An efficient home-comfort system that’s gaining popularity for its continuous hot-water flow, efficiency and convenience is the tankless water heating system.
Tankless efficiency and convenience
Traditional storage-tank water heaters constantly maintain hot-water temperature, even when hot water is not being used. This wastes energy as standby heat loss occurs and the water is repeatedly reheated. Tankless water heating offers efficiency and convenience by supplying hot water on demand, without consuming energy for standby heat loss or storage. You may save up to 33 percent on hot water costs, depending on your household size.
Tankless water heaters are installed to your home’s plumbing. When hot water is turned on, water flows through a pipe that’s heated by a gas burner or an electric heating element, and then the hot water flows to the outlet. It’s as simple as that. The tankless system is only limited for supplying hot water by the total flow rate (gallons per minute – GPM) required by your household.
Do you need 1 unit or 2?
An typical electric tankless system has a flow rate of 2 GPM. A typical gas system has a flow rate of 5 GPM. The number of tankless systems your household requires depends on your flow rate, temperature rise (the desired temperature minus the temperature of the water as it enters your home), electric or gas heating source, and factors such as the distance to the furthest water outlet. For larger households that typically use more than 85 gallons per day, two tankless systems, or the largest available model, are likely needed. For smaller households that use under 40 gallons per day, one unit should suffice.
Installing a tankless system specifically for one appliance, such as the dishwasher or washing machine, may be beneficial. Point-of-use systems are convenient as well. They are miniature tankless water heaters designed for use at one outlet, such as a sink.
For an accurate assessment of your family’s tankless water heating needs, consult a heating and cooling professional experienced with these systems. Calculations should be precise. Contact Climate Control Company today. We’ve served western Colorado since 1956.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about tankless water heating and other HVAC topics, please visit our website.
Climate Control Company services Aspen, Vail and the surrounding Western slope communities in Colorado.
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