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There are many types of energy efficient water heaters that have emerged to meet our civilization’s increasing demands for power conservation. The purpose of this article is to help you determine which type of heater will work best for your particular home.
Storage water heaters are the most common water heaters used in the US. The typical storage heater is inefficient because it is constantly heating water in the tank. Heat loss occurs even when the water is not being used. New heating units with storage tanks correct this problem by insulating the tank to prevent standby heat loss. Those that work on gas with “condensing” and “near-condensing” systems will save even more money when they emerge from the niche market category.
You may not need a water heater with a storage tank. If water faucets in your home are relatively near one another, then a tankless energy efficient water heater may work much better. With this type of heater, water flows over a gas burner or electric element only when it is needed. As it flows, it is heated, and then distributed to your system. Because there is no tank full of water to continuously heat, there is no standby water loss.
There are homes where a tankless system is impractical. If you have long water lines or a large house, the water you get when you first turn on the faucet will be cold before the hot water gets to you. Also, residential wiring will normally not support an electric tankless heater.
If you have short water lines and decide to use a tankless model, use a gas-fired heater that has an Energy Factor of 0.82.
Another energy efficient water heater is the type that is powered by a heat pump. Unlike heaters that generate heat directly, heat pump units use electricity to move heat from a source in the outside air or in the basement rather than generating the heat internally within the unit. Although not yet very common, this type of heater uses only one-third to one-half the amount of electricity as a typical electric heater.
Then too, there is the indirect water heater. These energy efficient water heaters draw heat from a boiler or a furnace through a heat exchanger. The models that operate off a boiler are more common than furnace-operated models. Water simply circulates through the boiler and back to the heater. In furnace systems, water circulates through the furnace through a heat exchanger system. Both boiler and furnace types are being manufactured as integrated components of boilers and furnaces.
Integrated water heaters combine the concept of a space heater with a power water heating system. As hot water passes through a heat exchanger, a central handler blows air into the home’s duct system.
Solar units are the most energy efficient water heaters on the face of the earth. Anything solar is, for obvious reasons. Having the sun’s limitless (at least for the next 4 billion years or so) energy supply represents true sustainability beyond any other technology. They are costly, but they can pay the owner back by saving as much as 75 percent on water heating costs.
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