A water heater is an essential appliance in the home and it’s the appliance that uses the most energy. Choosing the right water heater for you requires careful consideration, and often it’s a good idea to see what other people have to say on the matter too.
One thing for sure is that there are a number of options, so how do you decide which one is perfect for your home?
There are different types of water heaters. They come in different sizes and make use of different power types as well. We will take a look at various elements that you should factor into your decision to ensure that you are making the best one.
Types of water heaters
Firstly, there is a wealth of information on the topic as a whole on https://waterheaterreviewssite.com/. You will see that there are 5 different types of water heaters. Conventional storage water heaters, tankless or demand type water heaters, heat pump water heaters, solar water heaters and tankless coil indirect water heaters.
1. The conventional storage water heater makes use of a tank to provide hot water.
2. The tankless or demand type water heater does not make use of a tank and heats up water directly.
3. The heat pump water heater allows you to move heat from one place to the next and doesn’t solely focus on heating water.
4. Then solar water heaters use the sun’s heat to heat up water.
5. Lastly, the tankless coil and indirect water heater allow you to use a home’s space heater to heat up water.
Size
If you haven’t experienced it yourself you’ve seen it play out on tv. Someone takes a shower and when the next person goes in there, there’s no more hot water left. To avoid this, you need to make sure that your water heater is big enough to provide your whole household with enough hot water.
It also needs to maximize efficiency because if the water heater has to constantly heat up small amounts of water, it will end up wasting energy and costing you more money. Energy efficiency is of utmost importance.
The less energy you use, the less money you spend. It’s also good for the planet as you will be using less of the planets valuable resources depending on what power source you choose to use. There are ways to limit the energy the water heater uses.
Insulating your water heater will ensure that it maintains its heat for longer. This means that not as much energy will be used to heat it up again because some of that heat has been retained.
Lowering the setting on your water heater during the summer months will help you save money as you won’t be using that much hot water. Cost is an important thing to consider when purchasing a water heater. Not just the upfront cost of purchasing and installation, but the maintenance and annual operating cost must be considered and compared with other water heating systems to make an informed decision.
Power types
As mentioned, the type of fuel that a water heating system uses has an impact on its energy efficiency as well the annual operations costs and size. So, what are the various power options for the water heater? You should choose one taking into account whether it is readily available to you and that you can afford.
Options include electricity, fuel oil, geothermal energy, natural gas, and solar energy. Electricity is the most widely available fuel type. It’s suitable for conventional storage water heaters, tankless or demand type water heaters, and heat pump water heaters.
Fuel oil is not as readily available. It can be used to fuel conventional storage water heaters as well as indirect combination water and space heaters. Geothermal energy is also widely available. This type of fuel system is suited to houses with a geothermal heat pump system installed.
Natural gas is fairly common. It is suited to fuelling conventional storage and demand type water heaters. It also fuels combination water and space heating systems.
Lastly, solar energy is free but the solar panels might be quite costly. Although the solar panels might end up costing a lot of money upfront, it will save you money on annual operations costs which is something to bear in mind.
Take some time to consider what you need from your water heater and whether its functionality will make sense in the long run.
