Your home water heater is among the top energy consumers in your home, so energy efficiency is important, both for your budget and the environment. As a homeowner, you have more choices than ever in types of water heaters and power sources. Find out the about various options in water heaters below. Learn about the factors that affect their energy efficiency. Then, get in touch with us at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing for experienced advice and professional installation.
Standard Storage Tank Water Heater
A standard water heater with a tank that stores a supply of heated water is a standard option for homeowners. Depending on the size of the appliance, it can store between 20 and 80 gallons of hot water. When you use hot water from the tank, it draws in cold water from your plumbing system for heating. In this way, the system maintains a full supply of hot water at all times to answer the demands of your household.
This style of water heater can use one of several power sources, including electricity, natural gas, LP or heating oil. Depending on the fuels available to you and their costs, you can save money by choosing the most economical, energy efficient alternative.
However, a storage tank water heater is not the most fuel-efficient type. The hot water sits in the tank until you need it, losing heat over time. That means the appliance must expend more energy to warm the water up to a pre-set temperature. Each time this happens, it becomes less efficient in terms energy usage.
You can cut down on heat loss and energy waste by purchasing a water heater with a well-insulated storage tank. However, even plenty of insulation does not completely eliminate waste.
On-Demand Water Heater with No Storage Tank
When you open a tap, the on-demand, tankless heater draws cold water through a heat exchanger, which heats it instantly and delivers it in seconds. Because this kind of system does not store water, it does not have the associated energy losses that trigger re-heating. Also, since there is no tank, an on-demand appliance takes up far less space than a traditional storage heater.
Because an on-demand water heater heats what you need immediately, it is more energy efficient. The water doesn’t lose heat like it does in a storage tank. Your fuel options include natural gas, LP and electricity.
The main drawback in using a tankless water heater is its capacity. Depending on the model you have, it will provide 2 to 5 gallons of hot water per minute. Multiple hot water demands can overtax the system, causing hot water shortages. You can avoid this issue when you have us install two or more on-demand water heaters to serve different zones in your household. That way, you will aways have enough.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, smaller homes that use 41 gallons or less hot water daily can save up to 34 percent of their energy cost using an on-demand water heater instead of a tank-storage appliance. That means the tankless heater is significantly more energy efficient.
Also, while the upfront cost of an on-demand tankless water heater is higher than the more conventional alternative, the unit should last about twice as long as a tank storage model. The savings on your utility bills will help offset the purchase price too. You may even be eligible for energy-efficient tax credits.
Heat Pump Water Heating System
A heat pump system transfers heat rather than creating it. Because of this, it uses electric energy up to three times more efficiently than tank storage heaters and on-demand tankless heaters.
Air-source heat pumps collect warmth from the air while geothermal-source heat pumps source warmth from underground instead. Then, they:
- Transfer the heat to a refrigerant.
- Send the refrigerant through a compressor, which raises its temperature to the desired level.
- Transfer this heat to the water in your storage tank.
If you are upgrading the HVAC in your home to a heat pump system, you can purchase one that incorporates a water heater. If you just want to increase energy efficiency, you can add a heat pump system to your existing tank storage water heater. Stand-alone systems for water heating are also available.
The basic requirements for a heat pump water heater may also affect your ultimate decision. For a stand-alone system, you need 100 cubic feet of space surrounding the unit. Also, a heat pump only works efficiently in temperatures between 40 and 90 degrees F, so depending on your climate, you may not be able to put it in the basement.
Solar Water Heater
If you have no shortage of sunshine, you can save on your energy bill with a solar water heater. An active solar water heater with a direct circulation system uses energy to route water from solar collectors into a storage tank. An indirect solar water system has a heat transfer mechanism that pulls heat from a transfer medium into your water tank. This heat-exchanging solar water heater works better in climates where the thermometer drops below freezing in the winter.
In most locations, you need a backup system for cloudy days. This requires an additional energy source such as electric or gas, which will affect the overall energy efficiency of your water heating system.
A passive solar heating system converts 100 percent of the heat it collects into hot water, but you will have some energy loss from tank storage. In addition, a passive system offers no way to consistently control the water temperature.
We Can Help You Choose an Efficient Water Heater
With so many options in water heating, you may still have questions about which appliance is the one you need. Get in touch with our experienced plumbers at Benjamin Franklin in Tampa today for answers and scheduling.