On Demand Electric Water Heater
If you are looking for an energy efficient way to bring hot water in your home, try an on demand electric water heater. What is an on demand water heater you say? An on demand water heater does not have a holding tank for water, and this has many advantages. Some will ask why is this better when there is no tank? How will it heat the water for a nice hot shower?
Okay this is how an on demand hot water heater works, whether it runs on electricity or gas. The unit doesn’t have a cumbersome tank, so it is far smaller than a traditional water heater, but not so small it doesn’t work well. You have a water intake connection, a hot water line out, and an electrical cord, or gas line if you choose. Inside the housing are two coils that fill most of the unit. The larger coil carries water through the system, and another coil is either wrapped around the first coil or right next to it. This smaller coil is the heating element. You have your thermostat controls, usually electronic to save on working parts.
Now while you do have constant pressure within the water coil, it only flows when you turn on the hot water. When this happens, a sensor is tripped and the heating element gets hot, heating the water as it passes through the coil which comes out as hot water. There isn’t a tank, so the water heats up as it flows through the system instead. When you are finished using the hot water, the flow stops, and the on demand electric water heating element also turns off, until the next time you use it.
If you are trying to conserve electricity, and living on a solar grid, an on demand electric water heater can greatly reduce the draw on your power grid. Even if you are still using municipal power, it can greatly reduce your utility bills, 10% or even more, depending on your usage. One of the significant ways it will save money is that it won’t be constantly turning on and off to keep a tank of water heated. You only use energy when you need it.
You can find many on demand electric water heaters online, and there are many companies that are found only on the internet. Many are quite reasonably priced under $1000 and in some cases under five hundred. For example, Bosch sells many inline hot water heaters for under $500, one sells for even less than $450. This is far cheaper than your conventional models.
Make sure that you buy an on demand electric water heater with the longest warranty you can find, usually the better warranty only raises the price around fifty dollars. If you are that worried about not having enough hot water on demand, then for these prices you could purchase two, one for close to bathrooms and laundry areas, and one in the kitchen under the sink to supply the sink and dishwasher.
