So you say you want to go “tankless” for your water heating needs?  Let’s get started!  There are at least 7 different well marketed tankless water heater manufacturers on the market to choose from, and many more lesser known.

You will quickly find that each manufacturer has at least 7 models (often double that).  Tankless water heaters for indoor installation…tankless water heaters for outdoor installation…tankless water heaters for commercial use…tankless water heaters for residential…gas…electric…   Before your head explodes while doing research, it is not really that hard.   Gary Gudbranson from Cottage on the Edge breaks down 6 Criteria for Selecting a Tankless Water Heater, and we’ve added one more here at GetWithGreen:

7 Criteria for Selecting a Tankless Water Heater

1. Determine your Hot Water Requirement (flow rate and simultaneous users)
2. Single Application, or supply for the Entire house.
3. Powered by Electricity or Gas
4. If Gas, Propane or Natural
5. Indoor or Outdoor Installation Location (Venting Configuration)
6. Venting Location
7. Read more about Tankless on GetWithGreen (see links below)

Gary goes into details for all of the above in his article.  It’s a quick read that will help you during your investigation.  Take a look.

More on Tankless Water Heaters from GetWithGreen.com:

• Velux introdues new tankless water heater
• GE introduces tankless water heater product
• In defense of tankless water heaters

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Sooooo much buzz continues around solar water heaters. Mati Bishop recently posted to Building Seattle Green highlighting Ten Misconceptions and Truths about these popular talked about products.

His article Top Ten Misconceptions and Truths about Solar Hot Water, to explain that even in Seattle where it rains alot, you can still get hot water from one of these devices.  He brushes on topics such as rebates, using hot water from a solar system at night, expense of a system and installation.

For more on solar water heaters, see our recent article on solar water heater manufacturers and rebates.

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A payback analysis for a tankless water heater is something that every energy conscious consumer should consider…

There are a lot of tankless water heater manufactures claiming a wide range of savings on your next water heating bill. A quick search on the web will show you a percent reduction of up 80%.   However the question still exists: how much would you really save on your water heating bill using a tankless water heater?

Most importantly what is the payback or ROI of the average tankless water heater and how does it compare to a traditional tank hot water system? Let us try to answer these questions:

Annual costs associated with water heaters of any type are divided into (3) categories:

1. Energy costs to heat the water from its incoming temperature to the desired temperature.
2. Standby energy costs: in the case of traditional tank heaters, standby cost is the cost of the energy to keep the water hot in the tank all day. For a tankless water heater standby cost is the cost of energy when the tankless water heater is running idle (minimal).
3. Installation costs: This is the cost to install the heater and all its piping system.

So let us examine these costs for both traditional tank heaters and tankless water heaters in detail.

Average Annual Traditional Tank Heater Costs

- Annual hot water demand: 87 gallons / day

- 335 days / year = 29,145 gallons/ year

Power to heat up 1 gallon of water from 57 to 110F according to the multi-housing laundry association is 0.2 kWh. The annual power requirement of heating the water from 57 to 110F for an American household is: 29,145 gallons/ year x 0.2 kWh/ gallon = 5,900 kWh/ year

The cost of 5,900 kWh: 5,900 kWh/ year x $0.11/ kWh = $649/ year

The cost to keep one gallon of water hot is $0.003. So, the cost to keep 21,145 gallons of water hot (standby): 21,945 gallons/ year x $0.003/ gallon = $87

So the total annual cost of heating water using a traditional tank system is $649 + $85 or $736

Average annual Tankless Water Heater Costs

Average energy to heat water to 110F is 6.2 kW

Average daily usage is 1.5 hours

Daily power needed to heat the water to 110F is: 1.5 hours x 6.2 kW = 9.3 kWh

Annual costs to heat water using a tankless water heater is: 9.5 kWh/ day x 335 days/ year x $0.11/kWh = $343

The total cost of heating water using a tankless water heater is $343 + $17 or $360.

What do these numbers mean?

The percent annual savings using a tankless water heater over a traditional tank system is 50% or $375.

This amount ($375) is equal to the cost of an average mid-size tankless water heater. Please note: Installation costs were found to be comparable for both tank and tankless systems, ~$150.

In addition there is the potential for tax credits for any tankless water heater. Please visit http://www.energy.gov/taxbreaks.htm for more information.

Given the longer life of a tankless water heater at 22 years versus a tank system 10 years there is the potential of saving over $4,000 over the long term.

The incoming water temperature from which the Department of Energy (DOE) calculations are made, has been established at 57F. In many parts of the world one does not normally experience inlet temperatures this cost year round however, we used 57F as our inlet temperature. 110F is the average household hot water operating temperature. This translates to 53 degrees of temperature rise for both tank and tankless water heating systems. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (July 2006) the average American household consumes 87 gallons of hot water per day. Average cost of electricity for the at the time of writing, is $0.11 kWh, as per the Department of Energy (DOE). Based on a DOE report July 2006.

Disclaimer: The information on the system, product or material presented herein is provided for informational purposes only. Please ensure that you consult a qualified technician prior to installing a tankless water heater or any suggestions put forward by e-Smart Living.There are no warranties, either expressed or implied, regarding the accuracy or completeness of this information.

[via e-smartliving.com]

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Tankless water heaters take you a step toward green, as well as save space in your remodel. Below are direct links to tankless water heater manufacturers. We found that the Rheem site was the most informative, and at GetWithGreen.com purchased two Takagi units that will be installed soon.

• Bradford White (electric or gas)
• Bosch (gas)
• Eemax (electric)
• Stiebel (electric)
• Chronomite (electric)
• Rheem (gas)
• Noritz
• Takagi

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When facing your remodel, you’ll likely replace your water heater. Which direction do you go? Tankless, or the Conventional Water Heater that we are all used to? This article from the U.S Department of Energy offers a great overview of how to select the right conventional water heater to save $$’s and our environment: Conventional Storage Water Heaters

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