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Having an efficient hot water heater is vital when it comes to owning your own home. Hot water heaters come in all shapes and sizes, with a variety of different options to choose from depending on what you and your family’s needs are. Whether you live alone or have a family of six living under your roof, you want to make sure you have enough hot water to take showers, wash clothes, and do dishes without running out of hot water. The Wilmington plumbers at Joseph Frederick & Sons are here to help you understand everything you need to know when it comes to hot water heater options for your home.
There are four main styles of water heaters available for residential use, each with their own benefits and potential drawbacks. Here’s a little bit about each style of water heater to help you choose which one is best for you and your home:
The storage tank is the most common hot water system used in homes today. Water is kept constantly heated in the storage tank by electricity, natural gas, oil, or propane. When your faucet turns on, hot water is drawn out of the top of the tank and cold water flows in the bottom to replace it. Storage water heaters are an excellent option if you want to spend as little money upfront on your water heater as possible. The downside to these hot water heaters is the fact that it consumes energy constantly to maintain the temperature of the water it is storing, even when hot water isn’t being used.
These are also known as demand-type water heaters. With these, water is heated by electricity or gas when the water flows through it without the need for a storage tank. Because you’re not heating water continually, tankless water heaters have the potential to help you rack up big savings in energy use. And since there is no tank, these heaters require little to no space and can be installed almost anywhere by Joseph Frederick & Son’s Wilmington plumbers, so they are an excellent way to add hot water to a home addition without having to resize the home’s entire water heater system. On the other hand, tankless models have a higher purchase cost and often require more labor costs for installation.
Heat pump water heaters don’t generate heat directly through the use of an electric heating element or gas burner, but instead drawn on outside heat and concentrate it inside the unit to heat water. Heat pumps can be used for water heating alone or in combination with your heating and air conditioning systems. Heat pump water heaters draw much of the energy used for heating water from the surrounding environment and don’t consume fuel in the process of heating the water. This can result in substantial energy savings. On the other hand, the initial outlay for a heat pump water heater is substantially higher than for a conventional storage water heater. To operate effectively, the air around a heat pump water heater can’t be too cold. They’re not a good choice for colder climates and care needs to be taken that they’re installed in an area that doesn’t get too cold in winter, like an unheated garage or basement.
Solar powered water heaters allow you to draw energy from the sun. This is a great idea if you already have solar panels or are considering adding them. Since energy from the sun is free to use, a properly installed solar water heater will provide plenty of hot water at a minimal cost. However, installing solar panels comes at a high initial cost, so it may take you several years to recoup the initial cost through your energy savings. For the highest efficiency, you also need to live in an area that receives substantial sunshine to reap the full benefits. In areas with less sunshine, you may need to install supplemental heaters to handle times of the year when there’s limited sunshine.
As a trusted source for plumbing services and repairs in the Wilmington area, the licensed professionals from Joseph Frederick & Sons are equipped to handle any issues you may experience with your water heater. We make it affordable and easy to have your water heater serviced or repaired. Should you need a new water heater, we’ll work with you, explain options, provide quick and expert installation, and stay within your budget. Contact us today to get started!