Many people are confused as to whether owning a tank water heater is better than a tankless water heater. The confusion is actually due to the high installation process on top of the initial buying price.
However, both water heater types actually have their own pros and cons. In the succeeding section below, we’ll discuss the comparison between the two. This way, you’ll get a good grasp as to which water heater is the best option for your needs.
Tankless Vs. Tank Water Heaters: A Comparison
Contents
Energy Consumption
According to reports and data, tankless water heaters actually help homeowners save up to $100 on bills annually. And this increases the longer they use the electric tankless water heater system.
However, this doesn’t mean that the tank water heaters consume a lot of energy. This system just consumes more energy than the tankless system.
How so?
Well, a little energy is actually used to keep the tank full of hot water. This is what we call “standby loss” or the energy waste just by keeping the tank full at all times.
In a nutshell, the tankless system is a better option if you’re looking for an energy efficient heater unit.
Check out the comparison table below to understand the various heater technologies as per the report of energystar.gov:
Buying and Installation Cost
People are quite confused between these two terms. The buying cost refers to the initial price when purchasing the product while the installation cost is the amount needed in order to fully set up and operate the heater system.
Between tankless vs. tank hot water heaters, the tank heater is a lot cheaper in terms of initial and installation cost.
And since the system has a tank of its own, no major changes are needed to your home’s electrical system.
Meanwhile, the tankless hot water heater is a bit complicated. Aside from having an expensive initial cost, the installation process of this system is a bit more complex, too.
You can read more the articles:
- How to choose the best electric tankless water heater easily
- What you need to know about buying the best tankless gas water heater
You are recommended to hire a plumber expert to install the unit. You are not to do it on your own. The electrical wiring has to be set in place so that you can use the system safely.
This tells us that the tank hot water heater is the cheaper option between the two, that is for the initial and installation cost.
Lifespan
Now, this one is a bit tricky because the durability of the product also depends on the maintenance and on how well it is taken care of.
But if we were to eliminate the other factors and just consider the system itself, the tankless hot water heater system shows a more promising years of usage. It can last from 20 to 30 years.
This is half longer than the lifespan of the tank hot water heater, which can only last from 8 to 10 years.
The Verdict
There surely are a lot of things to consider in tankless vs. tank hot water heaters battle, but the energy consumption, lifespan, and cost are the three major considerations that a lot of people ask about.
If we were to sum it all up, it’s actually not difficult to tell that the tankless hot water system is a better option. The tankless heaters offer the best value to your money in the long run, not to mention that it’s also space saving and would look best in modern homes.
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