Tankless water heaters offer significant energy savings, with up to 24% to 34% in energy savings over a storage tank water heater if your household uses about 41 gallons of hot water a day (that’s about two 10-minute showers), 8% to 14% for 86-gallon-a-day households, and up to 50% in energy savings if you designate an individual tankless water heaters for the big-use appliances. 

That’s a lot of savings on your energy bill! But you want to be sure to get the right size heater and the appropriate installation for your home so that you can take full advantage of the energy savings and other benefits of a tankless water heater. 

Your heating/cooling professional will advise and guide you through this process, but to make sure you’re in the know before you jump in, we’ve put together tankless water heater pros and cons.

Tankless Water Heater Pros: Why Life is Better With A Tankless Water Heater

The benefits of a tankless water heater in your Oklahoma home are many but the big hook is that they are massive energy savers. Let’s take a look at the whole gamut of benefits.

Energy Efficient: Save Money on Energy Cost

Unlike traditional storage tank water heaters that constantly keep a full tank of water heated, tankless water heaters only heat water as you need it. You turn on the hot tap in your shower and your heater starts heating. You turn off the tap and it goes off. There is no “standby heat loss” that requires the storage tank water heating to be constantly working. 

Therefore, you spend less money on heating the water.

More Hot Water Available: Don’t Worry About Running Out in the Shower

Since your tankless water heater heats as you go, you don’t have to worry about running out of hot water if you take a long shower or everyone is taking back-to-back showers in the get-out-the-door morning rush.

Tax Credits and Rebates: Save money for Energy Efficiency

Tax credits and rebates are often offered on a local and federal level for on-demand hot water heaters, the other name for tankless models. Take advantage of Oklahoma’s Natural Gas Water heater program and get a rebate of up to $850! Be sure to ask your heating professional for any other credits or rebates available to you with your specific model.

Size: Enjoy a Smaller, Nicer-Looking Heater and Storage Area

With no ugly, mammoth tank to contend with, your basement, garage or storage area can get a nice new look with more space. The tankless water heater is a small box that goes on the wall. Depending on layout and size, it’s easy to hide in a closet, under the sink, in the laundry room or out of the way in your storage space.

No Tank, No Flood: Rest Assured About Leak Issues

If you maintain a storage tank water heater properly, a flood is unlikely, but it can happen. With a tankless water heater, there is no water stored so there will be no flooding from a leaking tank. 

Longer Life: Know That Your New Heater Won’t Need to Be Replaced for a Long Time

Tankless Water Heaters generally have a life of over 20 years compared to 10 to 15 years for storage tank water heaters. This life-expectancy easily be extended with proper maintenance and replacing parts as needed. 

Efficiency Paid Forward: Be Inspired to Complement Your Tankless Water Heater With Other Energy Savers

Once you decide to get on the energy efficiency train, you’re likely to be inspired to do a few other easy fixes to save more money on utilities and do your part for the environment while you’re at it. Add in low-flow shower and faucet heads and switch to more energy efficient appliances, like washers and dishwashers. Keep up with water leaks as a small drip can cost up your monthly water bill by a buck.

Have your heating professional set the temperature at about 120 degrees Fahrenheit or as recommended. Keeping it set lower also offers energy savings. 

Tankless Water Heater Cons: Why Your Life Is Still Better With a Great Installation and Maintenance Schedule

Most of the cons with a tankless water heater have to do with set-up/installation and initial cost, but over time and with proper planning and maintenance, the weight of the cons diminishes in the pro-versus-con discussion.

Initial Costs

A new tankless water heater tends to run hundreds of dollars higher than traditional storage tank water heaters. Also, when going from traditional to tankless, you probably will need a few new or different components installed, depending on the model.

Depending on where you install the box, you may need new ventilation or a chimney for exhaust. Also, since you save energy by insulating pipes, if your heater is in a new spot and you can’t use the old pipes, you may need to insulate the new pipes. 

You may also need to install new pipes if you put the heater in a new location and install larger pipes if you have a gas-powered model that requires a faster flow of gas.

Another consideration is water. Hard water can cause scaling in the tankless water heater, so you may need a water softener installed. Another option is to set up regular maintenance to have the unit cleaned and descaled.

Size

If your household tends to have a lot of hot-water demand all at once, your tankless model may not be able to keep up, like if you have a dishwasher that uses a ton of water and it’s going at the same time as the washer or a shower.

One simple solution is to have a second tankless water heater allocated to the big water users or one heater per appliance. Your heating professional will be able to advise you on which heater is the best size for your house and needs.

Another solution is to get the right size model right off the top. Again, ask your heating professional to consult with you before you buy.

Get Happy With Your Water Heater

As you can see, the cons of a tankless water heater are easily diminished with good planning, installation, and maintenance. 

Start by consulting with your professional on the right model for you, including size. Also talk about whether an electric, gas or natural gas model is best for your home. And be sure your professional gets a permit if needed and sets up your maintenance schedule.

Contact us to get started with a consultation or so we can answer any questions you may have.