Gas Tankless Water Heater Benefits
A gas tankless water heater will provide constant hot water at a temperature that can be preset by you, without the inconvenience and wasted energy of a storage tank. That means hot water on demand whenever you want it with the added savings from a gas tankless water heater. Not having a storage tank means that you can cut the annual cost of your water heating bill by up to 20 percent because there are no standby losses incurred from having hot water standing in a storage tank.
With a gas tankless hot water heater, you can provide heat for your whole house with a large unit or supplement your existing water heating system with individual water heaters at point-of-use locations such as in the bathroom, under the kitchen sink, or even in a closet. You can even use a gas tankless water system as an addition to your solar powered water heating system.
This water heater has a gas heating device which is activated by a flow switch as soon as you turn on the water, so you can preset the temperature to and have hot water on demand. The maximum flow rate depends on the capacity of the heater. Electric tankless water heaters use considerable power to heat the water. Gas tankless water heaters are a little more efficient in this department. An average residential gas heater can usually heat more than five gallons per minute to 60 F. To put this into perspective, that’s more than enough power to run two showers simultaneously. Electric versions usually have a capacity to heat around three gallons per minute. Though a gas tankless water heater may cost more initially, because of its extreme energy efficiency, it can lower your annual energy costs by between 20-40 percent.
The two main types of gas tankless water heaters are large versions which are generally used if you want to supply hot water to your whole house with this method. There are also point-of-use units for individual sinks or showers. These take up little space and can be located conveniently. Some units can even be mounted on an exterior wall.
If you are considering a gas tankless water heater you will need to take into account whether your gas supply is natural or propane. Whichever your source, your gas line will need to meet the requirements for this type of water heater in case they are different than those for your existing water heater. Venting requirements are also important for this type of heater to ensure that there will be no back draft of gas fumes into your home.