Tank Versus Tankless Hot Water Heaters

Tankless water heaters are more compact and can heat up water as you use it.

Tank versus tankless hot water heaters. Instead they heat water as it passes through the unit using a heat exchanger to rapidly bring it. As their name implies tankless or on demand water heaters don t store water in a tank. One of the first things to consider is whether you should get a tank or tankless water heater. Energy efficient according to consumerreports tankless water heaters on average are 22 percent more energy efficient than traditional water heaters.

For a tank based traditional hot water system the lifespan is usually 10 years. You re not limited to the capacity of a holding tank. No waiting for hot water tankless hot water heaters instantly heat the water you need. And s torage tank water heaters while less expensive up front don t last as long as tankless options.

Water heaters with tanks. If you use lots of hot water daily around 86 gallons you might enjoy energy efficiency of an additional 8 to 14 percent. The doe notes that storage tank water heaters typically last 10 to 15 years while most tankless units have a life expectancy of 20 years or more. Although they require fewer btu h to operate storage tank water heaters generally have higher operating costs because they heat and reheat water to a preset temperature regardless of a home s hot water demand.